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

Atrial Premature Complexes

Medical Definition:	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)
Guide Notes:	a type of arrhythmia
Previously Indexed:	Cardiac Complexes, Premature (1967-1995)

CANADIAN MEDICAL GUIDE

Thank you for visiting Canadian Medical Guide .com