Premature ventricular contractions: symptoms, causes and treatment

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Definition of premature ventricular contraction

What are premature ventricular contractions?

Premature ventricular contraction (PVC) is a heartbeat disorder that causes the heart to beat abnormally. Sometimes this condition is called a premature ventricular complex, ventricular premature beat, or ventricular extrasystole.

PVC occurs when there is an additional abnormal heartbeat in the ventricles that causes the heart to beat too early.

This heartbeat doesn't work properly in pumping blood around the body. This condition is known as arrhythmia, a rhythm disturbance of the heartbeat. An abnormal heartbeat will produce irregular electrical impulses.

According to Premature Ventricular Contraction compiled by Khashayar Farzam and John R. Richards, PVC can occur separately or in a repeating pattern. If it occurs twice in a row, it is called a PVC doublet, whereas if it occurs three times in a row it is called a PVC triplet.

When it occurs more than three times in a row, eating is called ventricular tachycardia.

How common are premature ventricular contractions?

PVC is a common condition that can affect anyone. You can even experience it occasionally when your body is in good health.

However, it could also be a heart disease that requires immediate treatment.

Signs & symptoms of premature ventricular contractions

PVC often causes few or no symptoms. However, if you pay close attention, you may feel a strange sensation in the chest which is a sign and symptom of premature ventricular contractions, such as:

• Heartbeat feels pounding (palpitations).
• There are missed heartbeats, such as an imperfect double heartbeat.
• Chest discomfort, but not chest pain.

When should you see a doctor?

If you experience the symptoms mentioned above, consult a doctor immediately.

Make sure not to underestimate the symptoms above because they could be caused by heart disease, anxiety disorders, and an infection that also causes similar symptoms.

Causes of premature ventricular contractions

The heart has four chambers, two at the top (atria) and two at the bottom (ventricles). These organs have electrical activity that allows them to contract and pump blood around the body in a coordinated rhythm.

A normal, regular heartbeat occurs in special cells in the right atrium of the heart, called the sinoatrial (SA) knot, which are delivered to the atrioventricular (AV) node.

This electrical signal then acts through His and Purkinje bonds to the ventricles of the heart. As a result, the ventricles contract will pump blood from the heart to the arteries of the body.

So, if the heart rate in the ventricles is abnormal, this indicates a PVC condition.

The cause of premature ventricular contractions is completely uncertain. However, the presence of heart disease or changes in the body that make cells in the ventricles electrically unstable are believed to be the underlying causes.

Factors that can trigger an extra heartbeat

The existence of this extra heartbeat in the ventricles can be triggered by the following factors, such as:

• Certain drugs, for example decongestants and antihistamines.
• Consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs.
• Increased adrenaline levels in the body which may be caused by caffeine, tobacco, exercise, or anxiety.
• Heart muscle injury due to coronary heart disease, congenital heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension) or heart failure.

Risk factors for premature ventricular contractions

Although the cause is sometimes not known with certainty, some people are more likely to have an extra heart rate in the ventricles because they have the following risk factors:

• The habit of smoking, drinking alcohol or caffeinated beverages, or using illegal drugs.
• Anxiety disorders.
• History of hypertension.
• Diagnosed as having heart disease, such as congenital heart disease, coronary heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, and weakened heart muscle (cardiomyopathy).

Complications of premature ventricular contractions

Untreated PVC that continues over time can lead to complications, such as arrhythmias (heart rhythm disturbances) or cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle).

In rare cases, PVC accompanied by frequent heart disease can cause a chaotic heart rhythm. This condition is quite dangerous and may cause cardiac arrest.

Diagnosis & treatment of premature ventricular contractions

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

In order to diagnose premature ventricular contractions, your doctor will order a series of medical tests, namely an electrocardiogram.

An electrocardiogram (EKG) can detect extra beats and identify patterns and their sources. A standard EKG is done by placing sensors (electrodes) on your chest and limbs to make a graphic record of the electrical signals flowing through your heart.

Longer heart rate monitoring may require that you follow a portable EKG, which is a holter monitor. Can be done with an EKG along with exercise, which is walking on a treadmill with a device attached to the body

What are my treatment options for premature ventricular contractions?

In most cases, people with PVC do not need special care. This is because the heart organ is not problematic and the body is overall healthy.

Usually doctors will ask patients to change their lifestyle to be healthier, such as stopping smoking, no longer using illegal drugs, and limiting the habit of drinking alcohol and caffeinated drinks.

However, can premature ventricular contractions indicate a health problem, the doctor will perform further treatment, including:

• Take beta blockers, which are usually prescribed to treat high blood pressure and heart disease.
• Take calcium channel blockers, arrhythmia medications, such as amiodarone (Pacerone) or flecainide (Tambocor).

If neither lifestyle changes nor medications are effective in treating PVC, ablation therapy may be necessary. In this procedure, doctors rely on radio frequency energy to destroy areas of heart tissue that are causing irregular contractions.

Various treatments will be adjusted according to the cause of PVC. That way, the treatment will be more effective.

Treatment of premature ventricular contractions at home

Apart from doctor's care, you are also asked to apply home remedies, namely by quitting smoking and reducing the habit of drinking alcohol or caffeinated drinks.

In addition, you also need to establish a heart-healthy lifestyle, such as exercising regularly and limiting the consumption of salt, foods high in fat or cholesterol.

You also need to be able to manage stress because anxiety, fear, and stress can trigger an abnormal heartbeat. Try to fill your time with various activities that you enjoy, such as exercise, or do meditation.

Prevention of premature ventricular contractions

PVC is a disease that can be prevented. How to prevent premature ventricular contractions is to reduce various risk factors, namely:

• Avoiding various triggers, such as smoking or excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeinated beverages.
• Maintain normal blood pressure and if you have hypertension follow medication directed by your doctor. Likewise, patients with heart problems must follow the proper treatment for heart disease.