Cardiac aberrancy

Cardiac aberrancy is a type of disruption in the shape of the electrocardiogram signal, representing abnormal activation of the ventricular heart muscle via the electrical conduction system of the heart. Normal activation utilizes the bundle of His and Purkinje fibers to produce a narrow (QRS) electrical signal. Aberration occurs when the electrical activation of the heart, which is caused by a series of action potentials, is conducting improperly which can result in temporary changes in the morphology that looks like:

• Left bundle branch block
  • Left anterior fascicular block
  • Left posterior fascicular block
• Right bundle branch block

This is in contrast to a permanent dysfunction of the electrical pathways that produces wide QRS complexes in one of the above patterns or combinations of patterns (ie, bifascicular block).

In the context of atrial fibrillation, the Ashman phenomenon is a form of aberrancy.

See also

• Electrocardiography