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Glite Dictionary
nodal rhythm

nodal rhythm

7.5
A heart rhythm when a lower part of the heart makes the heartbeat instead of the usual upper part
  • noun
  • /ˈnoʊdəl ˈrɪðəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ritmo nodal
  • The electrocardiogram showed a nodal rhythm following the patient's surgery.

Examples

  • In some cases, a nodal rhythm indicates that the sinoatrial node is not functioning properly.

  • Doctors noted the presence of a nodal rhythm instead of the usual sinus rhythm.

  • The doctor diagnosed her with a nodal rhythm.

  • Patients with a nodal rhythm may experience symptoms of fatigue.

  • The electrocardiogram indicated a nodal rhythm rather than the typical sinus rhythm for the patient.

  • In patients with a nodal rhythm, the heartbeat is regulated through the atrioventricular node.

  • After surgery, the doctor observed a nodal rhythm on the patient's ECG.

Synonyms

atrioventricular nodal rhythm
vsnodal rhythm
  • Specialized
8.0

A heart rhythm when a small part in the lower heart makes the heartbeat instead of the normal upper part

uses heartbeat as the focus rather than the whole heart

Surface Forms

nodal rhythm singular
nodal rhythms plural

Morphology

nodal + rhythm

The compound is compositionally built from 'nodal' (pertaining to a node) and 'rhythm' (a pattern of beats), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a rhythm produced by/related to a node. However, the specific clinical sense (that it denotes a heartbeat controlled by the atrioventricular node rather than the sinoatrial node) is technical and not fully predictable from the constituents, so the meaning is only partly recoverable without medical knowledge.

Etymology

The medical term nodal rhythm pictures the heart's 'beats' being run by a small 'node' instead of the usual 'pacemaker'. Here nodal points to that node and rhythm means the regular 'beats', so the phrase means the heartbeat is controlled by the node rather than the normal pacemaker.