| Premature ventricular contraction | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Premature ventricular complex, ventricular premature contraction (complex or complexes) (VPC), ventricular premature beat (VPB), ventricular extrasystole (VES) |
 | |
| A premature ventricular contraction marked by the arrow. | |
| Specialty | Cardiology |
| Symptoms | None, feeling of skipped beat[1] |
| Complications | Heart problems[2] |
| Causes | Normal, heart disease[2] |
| Risk factors | Alcohol, stimulants including caffeine, electrolyte abnormalities, low oxygen, high CO2[2] |
| Diagnostic method | Electrocardiogram (ECG)[2] |
| Differential diagnosis | Aberrant premature atrial contractions, bigeminy, premature junctional contractions[2] |
| Treatment | Reassurance, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers[3] |
| Frequency | Common[2] |
A premature ventricular contraction (PVC) is an early extra beat that arise from the ventricle of the heart.[2] They often result in no symptoms but may be felt as a "skipped beat" in the chest.[1] Other reported symptoms may include tiredness and lightheadedness.[2] Occasional PVCs do not pose a danger.[2] Frequent PVCs can; however, result in heart problems.[2]
Generally they are a normal phenomenon.[1] Triggers may include alcohol, stimulants including caffeine, electrolyte abnormalities, low oxygen, and high CO2.[2] Underlying heart disease, including a heart attack, mitral valve prolapse, and myocarditis, is also a risk factor.[2] Diagnosis is by electrocardiogram (ECG), which generally shows a QRS complex greater than 120 ms.[2] If more than 10% of heartbeats are PVCs an ultrasound of the heart is recommended.[3]
Often no treatment is needed.[1][3] In those who are bothered beta blockers or certain calcium channel blockers may be used.[3] If this is not effective an antiarrhythmic medication or radiofrequency ablation may be considered.[3] They are common.[2] They are present on an ECG in about 0.5% of those under 20 and 2.2% of those over 50 years old.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Types of Arrhythmia". July 1, 2011. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Sattar, Y; Hashmi, MF (January 2020). "Ventricular Premature Complexes". PMID 31613493.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c d e Akdemir, B.; Yarmohammadi, H.; Alraies, M. C.; Adkisson, W. O. (1 July 2016). "Premature ventricular contractions: Reassure or refer?". Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 83 (7): 524–530. doi:10.3949/ccjm.83a.15090. PMID 27399865.