| ventricular fibrillation | <cardiology> A disorganised chaotic contraction of the ventricle that fails to effectively eject blood from the ventricle. During ventricular fibrillation the patient is unconscious and will die if emergency intervention is not undertaken (defibrillation). (12 Jan 1998) |
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| fibrillation, ventricular | An abnormal irregular heart rhythm whereby there are very rapid uncoordinated fluttering contractions of the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart. Venticular fibrillation disrupts the synchrony between the heartbeat and the pulse beat. Ventricular fibrillation is commonly associated with heart attacks or scarring of the heart muscle from previous heart attack. Ventricular fibrillation is life threatening. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| atrial fibrillation | <cardiology> A condition where there is disorganised electrical conduction in the atria, resulting in ineffective pumping of blood into the ventricle. Acronym: AF (02 Jan 1998) |
| fibrillation | <physiology> A small, local, involuntary contraction of muscle, invisible under the skin, resulting from spontaneous activation of single muscle cells or muscle fibres. (12 Nov 1997) |
| fibrillation, atrial | An abnormal irregular heart rhythm whereby electrical signals are generated chaotically throughout the upper chambers (atria) of the heart. Although many persons with atrial fibrillation have no symptoms, the most common symptom is palpitations, an uncomfortable awareness of the rapid and irregular heartbeat. Atrial fibrillation can cause blood clots that travel from the heart to the brain, causing stroke. Treatment of atrial fibrillation involves controlling the risk factors, medications to slow the heart rate and/or convert the heart to normal rhythm, and preventing complications of blood clotting. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fibrillation, auricular | Essentially the same as atrial fibrillation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fibrillation threshold | Least intensity of an electrical stimulus that will initiate fibrillation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| flutter-fibrillation | Mixture of atrial flutter (FF) waves and fibrillation (ff) waves in the electrocardiogram. Synonym: fibrilloflutter, flutter-fibrillation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| flutter-fibrillation waves | The waves of atrial flutter usually best seen in ECG leads 2, 3, and AVF. (A small f indicates atrial fibrillation). Synonym: fibrillary waves, fibrillatory waves, flutter-fibrillation waves. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aberrant ventricular conduction | Abnormal intraventricular conduction of a supraventricular beat, especially where surrounding beats are normally conducted. Synonym: ventricular aberration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aortico-left ventricular tunnel | Congenital connection between the aorta above exit of coronary arteries and the left ventricle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| arrhythmias, ventricular | Abnormal rapid heart rhythms (arrhythmias) that originate in the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles). Ventricular arrhythmias include ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. Both are life threatening arrhythmias most commonly associated with heart attacks or scarring of the heart muscle from previous heart attack. (12 Dec 1998) |
| arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia | A congenital cardiomyopathy in which transmural infiltration of adipose tissue results in weakness and aneurysmal bulging of the infundibulum, apex, and posterior basilar region of the right ventricle and leads to ventricular tachycardia arising in the right ventricle. (12 Dec 1998) |
| atrial ventricular canal defect | A defect caused by deficient or absent septal tissue immediately above and below the normal level of the atrioventricular valves, including the region normally occupied by the A-V septum in hearts with two ventricles. The A-V valves are abnormal to a varying degree. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bidirectional ventricular tachycardia | Ventricular tachycardia in which the QRS complexes in the electrocardiogram are alternately mainly positive and mainly negative; many such cases may represent ventricular tachycardia with alternating forms of aberrant ventricular conduction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ventricular | <anatomy> Pertaining to a ventricle. (18 Nov 1997) |