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Ventricular escape beats refer to a specific phenomenon in cardiac rhythm where the ventricles generate electrical impulses after there has been a pause in either the atrial or junctional activity. This usually occurs when the normal pacemaker of the heart, typically the sinoatrial (SA) node, fails to initiate a heartbeat in a timely manner.

When the heart's primary pacemakers fail or become suppressed due to various reasons, the ventricles may begin to create their own impulses to maintain a baseline heart rate. This results in beats that originate from a lower pacemaker in the ventricles. Therefore, they are characterized as late beats because they occur after the expected beat from the atrial activation has not taken place, allowing the ventricles to "escape" the delay.

This context underscores how ventricular escape beats serve as a protective mechanism for the heart, ensuring that some cardiac output continues even when higher-level control from the SA node or AV node is lost.