extrasystole

A nonspecific word for an ectopic beat from any source in the heart. SYN: premature beat, premature systole.

- atrial e. premature complex of the heart arising from an ectopic atrial focus. SYN: auricular e..

- atrioventricular e. SYN: junctional e..

- auricular e. SYN: atrial e..

- interpolated e. a ventricular or atrial e. which, instead of being followed by a compensatory or noncompensatory pause, is sandwiched between two consecutive sinus cycles.

- junctional e. a premature beat arising from the AV junction and leading to a simultaneous or almost simultaneous contraction of atria and ventricles. SYN: atrioventricular e..

- return e. a form of reciprocal rhythm in which the impulse having arisen in the ventricle ascends toward the atria, but before reaching the atria is reflected back to the ventricles to produce a second ventricular contraction.

- supraventricular e. an e. arising from a center above the ventricle, i.e., arising from the atrium or AV junction.

- ventricular e. a premature ventricular complex.

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ex·tra·sys·to·le -'sis-tə-(.)lē n a prematurely occurring beat of one of the chambers of the heart that leads to momentary arrhythmia but leaves the fundamental rhythm unchanged called also premature beat

ex·tra·sys·tol·ic -sis-'täl-ik adj

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n.

see ectopic beat

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ex·tra·sys·to·le (eks″trə-sisґto-le) a premature contraction of the heart that is independent of the normal rhythm and arises in response to an impulse in some part of the heart other than the sinoatrial node; called also premature beat or systole.