bradycardia
[brad″e-kahr´de-ah] slowness of the heartbeat, so that the pulse rate is less than 60 per minute. This can occur in normal persons, particularly during sleep; trained athletes also usually have slow pulse and heart rates. adj., adj bradycar´diac.
fetal bradycardia a fetal heart rate of less than 120 beats per minute, generally associated with hypoxia; it is usually due to
placental insufficiency; it may also result from transfer of local anesthetics or
beta-adrenergic blocking agents, and rarely to heart block associated with congenital heart disease or maternal collagen vascular disease.
nodal bradycardia bradycardia in which the stimulus of the heart's contraction arises in the atrioventricular node or common bundle.
sinoatrial bradycardia (sinus bradycardia) a slow sinus rhythm, with a heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute in an adult; it is common in young adults and in athletes but is also a manifestation of some disorders.
bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome any cardiac
dysrhythmia characterized by alternating slow and fast heart rates, often resulting in hemodynamic compromise. See also
sick sinus syndrome.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.