Which statement about pulseless electrical activity is true?

Which statement about pulseless electrical activity is true?

• A. It has no electrical activity on the ECG
• B. It has organized ECG rhythms with a palpable pulse
• C. It is when the heart's conduction system is functioning but the myocardium is not contracting enough to produce cardiac output
• D. It is synonymous with ventricular fibrillation

Answer: (C)

Pulseless electrical activity is when the heart’s electrical system is generating activity seen on the ECG, but the heart muscle isn’t contracting enough to produce a detectable pulse or adequate cardiac output. That means the conduction pathways are working, but the myocardium isn’t delivering effective mechanical output. This is why the best statement is that the conduction system is functioning while the myocardium fails to generate sufficient output. In contrast, there would be no electrical activity on the ECG in asystole, an organized rhythm with a palpable pulse would indicate a perfusing rhythm, and ventricular fibrillation involves chaotic, irregular electrical activity with no effective contraction. In PEA, you treat as cardiac arrest with CPR and address reversible causes.

Pulseless electrical activity is when the heart’s electrical system is generating activity seen on the ECG, but the heart muscle isn’t contracting enough to produce a detectable pulse or adequate cardiac output. That means the conduction pathways are working, but the myocardium isn’t delivering effective mechanical output.

This is why the best statement is that the conduction system is functioning while the myocardium fails to generate sufficient output. In contrast, there would be no electrical activity on the ECG in asystole, an organized rhythm with a palpable pulse would indicate a perfusing rhythm, and ventricular fibrillation involves chaotic, irregular electrical activity with no effective contraction. In PEA, you treat as cardiac arrest with CPR and address reversible causes.