Patient Care Technician (PCT) AAH Practice Exam

Which term describes contractions that originate from multiple sites?

1. Unifocal

2. Multifocal

3. Isolated

4. Localized

The correct answer is: Multifocal

The term that describes contractions originating from multiple sites is "multifocal." This terminology is commonly used in cardiology, particularly when discussing arrhythmias. In multifocal contractions, abnormal electrical impulses arise from various locations within the heart, leading to irregular and varied contraction patterns. This contrasts with unifocal contractions, which come from a single site, resulting in more uniform and consistent activity. The other terms, such as isolated and localized, refer to contractions confined to specific areas or occur independently, but do not convey the idea of multiple origination points that multifocal does. Therefore, multifocal accurately captures the essence of contractions stemming from different locations simultaneously.