As an emergency measure, lidocaine is used to:

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Multiple Choice

As an emergency measure, lidocaine is used to:

Explanation:
Lidocaine is an emergency antiarrhythmic that primarily acts on ventricular tissue by blocking fast sodium channels. This reduces the excitability and automaticity of ventricular myocardium, helping to suppress ectopic or unstable ventricular rhythms. In the setting of fibrillation, this effect can help dampen the irregular, rapid ventricular activity and stabilize the rhythm, which is why it’s used in emergencies for ventricular arrhythmias. It isn’t used to slow the rate in atrial fibrillation or to increase heart rate in bradycardia, and it doesn’t block calcium channels in smooth muscle—that mechanism belongs to calcium channel blockers.

Lidocaine is an emergency antiarrhythmic that primarily acts on ventricular tissue by blocking fast sodium channels. This reduces the excitability and automaticity of ventricular myocardium, helping to suppress ectopic or unstable ventricular rhythms. In the setting of fibrillation, this effect can help dampen the irregular, rapid ventricular activity and stabilize the rhythm, which is why it’s used in emergencies for ventricular arrhythmias.

It isn’t used to slow the rate in atrial fibrillation or to increase heart rate in bradycardia, and it doesn’t block calcium channels in smooth muscle—that mechanism belongs to calcium channel blockers.

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