The American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and Heart Rhythm Society collectively publish guidelines on the management of cardiac arrhythmias. This column will highlight key recommendations from the Guideline for Management of Patients with Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death1  and discuss the clinical implications for nurses. The recommendations contained in this guideline are vast in scope and range from diagnostic testing to pharmacological and device-based treatments. This column will highlight selected class I recommendations (actions that are indicated, beneficial, effective, and should be done) and class III recommendations (actions that are associated with potential harm and should not be performed).

A 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) should be the first diagnostic test for any patient in a stable wide complex tachycardia. Clinicians use ECG results to determine the etiology of wide complex tachycardia by assessing the cardiac axis and QRS morphology in lead aVR and the...

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