| vulnerable child syndrome | <syndrome> A reaction characterised by disturbance in psychosocial development, often occurring in children whose parents expect them to die prematurely. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| vulnerable period | Vulnerable period of heart, a brief time during the cardiac cycle when stimuli are particularly likely to induce repetitive activity like tachycardia, flutter, or fibrillation which persists after the stimulus has ceased; for the ventricle, it occurs during the latter part of systole, during the relative refractory period coincident with the inscription of the latter half of the T wave of the electrocardiogram. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vulnerable phase | A period in the cardiac cycle during which an ectopic impulse may lead to repetitive activity such as flutter or fibrillation of the affected chamber. (05 Mar 2000) |