Ventricular escape beat

Ventricular escape beat

A ventricular escape beat is a heart rhythm finding, discovered on EKG, that indicates the normal electrical conduction system of the heart is disrupted or performing inadequately.

More specifically, it is an ectopic beat that occurs after an extended pause in a rhythm, indicating either the failure of the SA node to initiate a beat or the failure of the conduction of this beat to the AV node. While the SA node typically initiates a rate of 70 beats per minute (BPM), the AV node is usually only capable of generating a rhythm at 40-60 BPM. If the AV node does not receive a signal from the SA node after a second or two, the AV node's pacemaking activity kicks in (as a safety mechanism), and attempts to set the rate around 40 BPM.

If there are only one or two ectopic beats, they are considered escape beats. If this causes a semi-normal rhythm to arise it is considered an idioventricular rhythm.

The escape arrhythmia is a compensatory mechanism that indicates a serious underlying problem with the SA node or conduction system (commonly due to heart attack or medication side effect) , and because of its low rate, it can cause a drop in blood pressure.

An escape rhythm may develop if another pacemaker takes over.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ventricular escape beat — an ectopic beat of ventricular origin occurring in the absence of supraventricular impulse generation or conduction; it is characterized by a bizarre, usually wide QRS complex and lack of an ectopic P wave …   Medical dictionary

  • ventricular escape — the occurrence of one or more ectopic beats in which a ventricular pacemaker becomes effective before the pacemaker in the sinoatrial node. See also under beat and rhythm …   Medical dictionary

  • automatic ventricular contraction — ventricular escape beat …   Medical dictionary

  • escaped ventricular contraction — ventricular escape beat …   Medical dictionary

  • beat — 1. To strike; to throb or pulsate. 2. A stroke, impulse, or pulsation, as of the heart or pulse. 3. Activity of a cardiac chamber produced by catching a stimulus generated elsewhere in the …   Medical dictionary

  • Kammerersatzrhythmus — Ein Kammerersatzrhythmus (syn. Ventrikulärer Ersatzrhythmus, Kammerautomatie[1]., Ventricular escape beat) ist eine Rhythmusstörung am Herzen, welche nach Ausfall oder Blockierung der übergeordneten Erregungsbildungszentren (hier: Sinusknoten und …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Artificial pacemaker — Cardiac resynchronization therapy and CRT (Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy) redirect here. For the device termed a CRT D, see Implanted cardiac resynchronization device. For other uses, see Pacemaker (disambiguation). A pacemaker, scale in… …   Wikipedia

  • bigeminy — Pairing; especially, the occurrence of heart beats in pairs. SYN: bigemini. [bi + L. geminus, twin] atrial b. pairing of atrial beats, as when an atrial extrasystole is coupled to each sinus beat. atrioventricular junctional b. paired beats, each …   Medical dictionary

  • contraction — 1. A shortening or increase in tension; denoting the normal function of muscle. 2. A shrinkage or reduction in size. 3. Heart beat, as in premature c..beat. [L. contractus, drawn together] after c …   Medical dictionary

  • Numbering aberrant rhythms — A rhythm strip demonstrating bigeminy Bigeminy (Latin: Bi Two Gemini twins) is a descriptor for a heart arrhythmia in which abnormal heart beats occur every other concurrent beat. A typical example is with bigeminal premature ventricular beats,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”