Linguistics Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Linguistics, including details on human language, phonetics, syntax, phonology.

Interpolated premature ventricular contractions with postponed compensatory pauses: a misnomer?

Castellanos A, Brenes JC, Chirinos-Medina JA, del Carpio F

Division of Cardiology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, PO Box 016960 (D-39), Miami, FL 33101, USA. acastell@med.miami.edu

Selected strips of a Holter recording obtained from a healthy young person with rare unifocal premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) were obtained. Occasionally, the PVCs were interpolated and showed the phenomenon originally named postponed compensatory pause by Langendorf [Am Heart J 1953;46:401]. But this is a misnomer because, by definition, interpolated PVCs do not have compensatory pauses. Thus, it follows that what does not exist cannot be postponed. In reality, the basic manifest feature is a prolongation of the first RR interval that follows the interpolated beat. However, in view of its use for more than half a century, it is probably best to continue using this terminology, but only as long as its underlying mechanism and fundamental manifestations are properly understood.

Published 2 October 2006 in J Electrocardiol, 39(4): 377-9.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Linguistics Research Today. All Rights Reserved.