An idioventricular rhythm is a cardiac rhythm characterized by a rate of <50 beats per minute (bpm), absence of conducted P waves and widening of the QRS complex.
Causes of idioventricular rhythms are varied and can include drugs or a heart defect at birth.
[2] Various etiologies may contribute to the formation of an idioventricular rhythm, and include:[1] The physiological pacemaker of the heart is the sinoatrial node.
[4] If both of these fail, the ventricles begin to act as the dominant pacemaker in the heart.
In the absence of other life-threatening arrhythmias, antiarrhythmics should be avoided as they can blunt the ventricular rate leading to hemodynamic collapse.