Junctional escape beat

Junctional escape beat
SpecialtyCardiology

A junctional escape beat is a delayed heartbeat originating not from the atrium but from an ectopic focus somewhere in the atrioventricular junction.[1] It occurs when the rate of depolarization of the sinoatrial node falls below the rate of the atrioventricular node.[2] This dysrhythmia also may occur when the electrical impulses from the SA node fail to reach the AV node because of SA or AV block. It is a protective mechanism for the heart, to compensate for the SA node no longer handling the pacemaking activity, and is one of a series of backup sites that can take over pacemaker function when the SA node fails to do so. It can also occur following a premature ventricular contraction or blocked premature atrial contraction.[3]

  1. ^ Abedin, Zainul; Conner, Robert (2012). Interpretation of Cardiac Arrhythmias: Self-Assessment Approach. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 234. ISBN 9781461546078. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  2. ^ Catalano, Joseph T. (2002). Guide to ECG Analysis. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 140. ISBN 9780781729307. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  3. ^ ECG Challenge: What's Behind Her Slow Pulse?