extrasystole

Noun

extrasystole (plural extrasystoles)

1. A premature contraction of the heart, producing an interruption or irregularity in heartbeat rhythm, associated with heart disease or the use of some pharmaceuticals.
   • An extrasystole originating at the rhythmic centre is thus followed by a returning cycle of natural length.1914, Thomas Lewis et al., “The Excitatory Process in the Dog's Heart,”, in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, containing Papers of a Biological Character, volume...
   • A 30-year-old woman, with no heart disease, was referred to our center with a history of rare episodes of sustained tachycardia and frequent feeling of extrasystoles.2005, Gian-Battista Chierchia MD et al., “Arrhythmia Rounds: A Case of Junctional Extrasystoles?”, in Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, volume 16, number 5, page 557

   Synonyms:

   premature ventricular contraction, ventricular premature beat