Why does this EKG indicate a sick sinus node? First, we observe a sinus rhythm with a rate just below 60 bpm. Then, there is a pause of approximately 3000 ms, followed not by a sinus beat, but by a junctional escape beat (retrograde/inverted P-wave immediately after the QRS complex). This ECG was recorded at the general practitioner's office, and it can be assumed that no vagal stimulus contributed to the arrhythmia. The same pause recorded in a Holter monitor during the night under the influence of vagal tone, without any other symptoms from the patient, would be evaluated quite differently.