Mrs. Hogan, a 43-year-old woman, is admitted to your unit for cholecystectomy. Q. The most common lethal arrhythmia in the first hour of an MI is:

Pulseless Ventricular TachycardiaAsystole Ventricular fibrillationFirst degree heart block.

Explanation.

Ventricular fibrillation Moreover, ventricular fibrillation is 15 times more likely to occur during the first hour of an acute MI than the following twelve hours which is why it is vital to decrease the delay between onset of chest pain and arrival at a medical facility. First degree heart block is not a lethal arrhythmia.