REFRACTORY PERIOD

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does refractory period mean? 

• REFRACTORY PERIOD (noun)
  The noun REFRACTORY PERIOD has 1 sense:

1. (neurology) the time after a neuron fires or a muscle fiber contracts during which a stimulus will not evoke a response

  Familiarity information: REFRACTORY PERIOD used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• REFRACTORY PERIOD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(neurology) the time after a neuron fires or a muscle fiber contracts during which a stimulus will not evoke a response

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("refractory period" is a kind of...):

biological time (the time of various biological processes)

Domain category:

neurology (the branch of medical science that deals with the nervous system)

 Context examples 

This results in prolongation of atrial and ventricular action potential duration and refractory periods.

(Ibutilide Fumarate, NCI Thesaurus)

This antiarrhythmic agent prolongs cardiac action potential duration and effective refractory period due to delayed repolarization without affecting conduction velocity.

(Dofetilide, NCI Thesaurus)

Disopyramide also blocks potassium channel and results in prolonged QT interval, thus increases the effective refractory period.

(Disopyramide, NCI Thesaurus)

Its myocardial effects include a prolongation of action potential as well as refractory period.

(Bretylium Tosylate, NCI Thesaurus)

As a class III antiarrhythmic agent, amiodarone blocks the myocardial calcium, potassium and sodium channels in cardiac tissue, resulting in prolongation of the cardiac action potential and refractory period.

(Amiodarone, NCI Thesaurus)