| escape beat | Escaped beat, an automatic beat, usually arising from the A-V junction or ventricle, occurring after the next expected normal beat has defaulted; it is therefore always a late beat, terminating a longer cycle than the normal. Synonym: escape contraction. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| forced beat | <cardiology, physiology> An extrasystole supposedly precipitated in some way by the preceding normal beat to which it is coupled, an extrasystole caused by artificial stimulation of the heart. Synonym: dependent beat. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fusion beat | A beat triggered by more than a single electrical impulse, when the wave fronts coincide to act together on a single final pathway of activity; in the electrocardiogram, the atrial or ventricular complex when either atria or ventricles are activated jointly by two simultaneous or nearly simultaneous invading impulses. Synonym: combination beat, mixed beat, summation beat. (05 Mar 2000) |