pseudofailure

pseudofailure

Cardiology A finding on an EKG which simulates the failure of a cardiac pacemaker; in pseudofailure, the atrium is paced at a rate of ± 80 beats/min, and the ventricle responds normally to the atrial beats, which implies that the AV node and bundle branches successfully carry the intrinsic cardiac pulses, and thus do not need the pacemaker's help. See Pacemaker. Cf Heart failure.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.