Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Intermediate Practice Exam

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Study for the EMT Intermediate Exam. Access detailed flashcards and multiple-choice questions that come with hints and explanations. Prepare comprehensively for your EMT certification!

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Why does ventricular tachycardia often result in hypotension?

Increased heart rate leads to decreased cardiac output
The heart pumps inefficiently due to rapid rates
There is not enough time for the left ventricle to fill with blood
B-blockers cause decreased contractility

The correct answer is: There is not enough time for the left ventricle to fill with blood

Ventricular tachycardia occurs when the heart's ventricles beat rapidly, which can significantly influence hemodynamics. One of the primary reasons that ventricular tachycardia often results in hypotension is that there is not enough time for the left ventricle to fill with blood between beats. Rapid heart rates reduce the diastolic filling time—the period when the ventricles relax and fill with blood—leading to a decrease in stroke volume, which is the amount of blood pumped with each beat. Consequently, this can result in insufficient blood being ejected into circulation, ultimately causing a drop in blood pressure or hypotension. Other factors may contribute to this scenario, including the increased heart rate potentially leading to reduced cardiac output and the heart's inefficient pumping ability due to rapid rates. However, the most immediate and critical issue in ventricular tachycardia is the compromised filling time of the left ventricle, directly linking it to hypotension.