extra beat


beat

(bet) A pulsation or throb (e.g., as in contraction of the heart).

apex beat

The impulse of the heart felt by the hand when held over the fifth or sixth intercostal space in the left midclavicular line.

artificially paced beat

A heartbeat stimulated by an artificial pacemaker.

captured beat

A ventricular contraction directly stimulated by an electrical impulse either from the sinus node or from the pulse generator of a pacemaker.

complex ectopic beat

Any electrical activation of the heart that originates outside the sinoatrial node.

dropped beat

A single interruption in the regular pacing of the electrical and mechanical activity of the heart.

ectopic beat

An electrical impulse that begins at any place in the heart other than the sinoatrial node.

escape beat

A depolarization of the heart that occurs after a prolonged pause or after failure of the sinus node to generate an electric impulse. Most escape beats are generated in the ventricles.

extra beat

Extrasystole.

forced beat

Extrasystole brought on by artificial heart stimulation.

premature beat

An electrical impulse that arises from a site other than the sinus node in the heart, occurring before the expected sinus beat.