Canadian Medical Guide > Diseases > Cardiovascular Diseases > Heart Diseases > Arrhythmia > Cardiac Complexes, Premature Terms and Definitions




Cardiac Complexes, Premature

Medical Definition: A premature contraction of the heart that is initiated somewhere other than the sinoatrial node.
Guide Notes: GEN or unspecified: atrial = ATRIAL PREMATURE COMPLEXES & ventric = VENTRICULAR PREMATURE COMPLEXES
Cardiac Complexes, Premature Categories.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Atrial Premature Complexes - Premature contractions of the heart arising from an ectopic atrial focus. With ventricular premature complexes, they represent one of the most common causes of irregular pulse. They are more apt to occur if there is atrial or conduction system disease such as left atrial enlargement in mitral stenosis. In community prospective studies, atrial premature complexes are not related to sudden death, as are ventricular premature beats in coronary disease. (From Stedman, 25th ed; Braunwald, Heart Disease, 4th ed, p679; Sokolow, et al., Clinical Cardiology, 5th ed, p472)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Ventricular Premature Complexes - Premature contractions of the ventricle, the most common of all arrhythmias. In the absence of heart disease, they are not of great clinical significance, but in patients with coronary disease, they represent a constant danger of ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation and sudden death. The longer-term prognosis for asymptomatic, healthy subjects with frequent and complex ectopy is similar to that for the healthy United States population. (From Sokolow, et al., Clinical Cardiology, 5th ed, p491)

Cardiac Complexes, Premature Medical Definitions and Terms

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