Ectopic beat

Ectopic beat (or cardiac ectopy) is a disturbance of the cardiac rhythm frequently related to the electrical conduction system of the heart, in which beats arise from fibers or group of fibers outside the region in the heart muscle ordinarily responsible for impulse formation (i.e., the sinoatrial node). An ectopic beat can be further classified as either:

Some patients describe this experience as a 'flip' or a 'jolt' in the chest, or a 'heart hiccups', while others report dropped or missed beats. Ectopic beats are more common during periods of stress, exercise or debility; they may also be triggered by consumption of some food like alcohol, strong cheese, or chocolate.

It is a form of cardiac arrhythmia in which ectopic foci within either ventricular or atrial myocardium, or from finer branches of the electric transduction system, cause additional beats of the heart. Some medications may worsen the phenomenon.