Ectopic Beats: Insights from Timing and Morphology

Giuseppe Bagliani; Domenico Giovanni Della Rocca; Roberto De Ponti; Alessandro Capucci; Margherita Padeletti; Andrea Natale

doi:10.1016/j.ccep.2018.02.013

Ectopic Beats: Insights from Timing and Morphology

Card Electrophysiol Clin. 2018 Jun;10(2):257-275. doi: 10.1016/j.ccep.2018.02.013.

Authors

Giuseppe Bagliani¹, Domenico Giovanni Della Rocca², Roberto De Ponti³, Alessandro Capucci⁴, Margherita Padeletti⁵, Andrea Natale⁶

Affiliations

¹ Arrhythmology Unit, Cardiology Department, Foligno General Hospital, Via Massimo Arcamone, Foligno, Perguia, Italy; Cardiovascular Diseases Department, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. Electronic address: giuseppe.bagliani@tim.it.
² Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, St. David's Medical Center, 3000 N Interstate Hwy 35 #700, Austin, TX 78705, USA.
³ Cardiology Department, University of Insubria, Via Ravasi, 2, 21100 Varese, Italy.
⁴ Cardiology and Arrhythmology Clinic, Marche Polytechnic University, University Hospital "Ospedali Riuniti", Via Conca, 71, Torrette, Ancona 60030, Italy.
⁵ Cardiology Department, Mugello Hospital, Viale Resistenza, 60 - 50032 Borgo San Lorenzo (FI), Italy.
⁶ Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, St. David's Medical Center, 3000 N Interstate Hwy 35 #700, Austin, TX 78705, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA; Interventional Electrophysiology, Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, CA, USA; MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA; Division of Cardiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia Services, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.

PMID: 29784483
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccep.2018.02.013

Abstract

Premature complexes are electrical impulses arising from atrial, junctional, or ventricular tissue, leading to premature heart beats. Premature atrial beats are much more frequent than those arising in the atrioventricular junction but less frequent than premature beats from the ventricles. Although they are usually benign and highly prevalent in the general population, they could trigger sustained supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, and cause cardiomyopathies. The aim of this article was to review the main electrocardiology features of premature complexes and discuss their implications in clinical practice.

Keywords: Arrhythmias; Atrial fibrillation; Ectopic beats; Electrocardiography; Premature atrial beats; Premature junctional beats; Premature ventricular beats.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Cardiac Complexes, Premature / diagnosis
Cardiac Complexes, Premature / physiopathology*
Electrocardiography*
Heart Atria / physiopathology*
Heart Conduction System / physiopathology*
Heart Ventricles / physiopathology*
Humans
Time Factors