A 62-year-old man is brought to the emergency department because of syncope. He reports sudden onset of palpitations followed by loss of consciousness while carrying his groceries to his car. He is unable to recall any further details and does not have any chest pain or dizziness. He has a history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, gastroparesis, and osteoarthritis of the knees. Medications include lisinopril, metformin, and ondansetron as needed for nausea. He also takes methadone daily for chronic pain. Apart from an abrasion on his forehead, he appears well. His temperature is 37.2 °C (98.9 F), heart rate is 104/min and regular, and blood pressure is 135/70 mm Hg. While he is in the emergency department, he loses consciousness again. Telemetry shows polymorphic ventricular tachycardia with cyclic alteration of the QRS axis that spontaneously resolves after 30 seconds. Results of a complete blood count, serum electrolyte concentrations, and serum thyroid studies show no abnormalities. Cardiac enzymes are within normal limits. Which of the following is the most likely underlying cause of this patient's syncope?
APrinzmetal angina
BFast accessory conduction pathway
CBrugada syndrome
DProlonged QT interval
EHypomagnesemia
A 72-year-old man with congestive heart failure is brought to the emergency department because of chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, and palpitations for 30 minutes. An ECG shows a wide complex tachycardia with a P-wave rate of 105/min, an R-wave rate of 130/min, and no apparent relation between the two. Intravenous pharmacotherapy is initiated with a drug that prolongs the QRS and QT intervals. The patient was most likely treated with which of the following drugs?
ACarvedilol
BVerapamil
CFlecainide
DQuinidine
ESotalol
A 65-year-old woman comes to the physician because of a 3-month history of intermittent palpitations and shortness of breath. Cardiopulmonary examination shows no other abnormalities. An ECG shows an absence of P waves, an oscillating baseline, and irregular RR intervals at a rate of approximately 95 beats per minute. The difference between atrial and ventricular rates in this patient is most likely due to which of the following?
AProlonged influx through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in the bundle of His
BTransient activation of K+ current in Purkinje fibers
CInhibition of the Na+/K+-ATPase pump in ventricular cells
DLimited speed of conduction through the left bundle branch
ETemporary inactivation of Na+ channels in the AV node
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