Jam with Confidence: Rock Your Certified Rhythm Analysis Technician Exam 2026!

A regular rhythm with a rate of 158 beats per minute (bpm) accompanied by a narrow QRS complex is best classified as supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). This classification is based on the origin of the electrical impulses leading to the rapid heart rate.

Narrow QRS complexes indicate that the electrical impulses are traveling through the atria and then down to the ventricles in a normal conduction pathway, which is typically characteristic of supraventricular rhythms. In supraventricular tachycardia, the rapid heart rate arises above the level of the ventricles, usually from the atria or the atrioventricular node, rather than from the ventricles themselves.

The heart rate of 158 bpm further supports the diagnosis of SVT, as this encompasses a range commonly seen with this type of tachycardia. Other forms of tachycardia, such as ventricular tachycardia, would typically present with wide QRS complexes due to a different conduction pathway origins (i.e., from the ventricles), and atrial fibrillation would not maintain a regular rhythm. Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia may also present with similar features; however, it is often characterized by patterned episodes