How a VC Can Affect Your Heart
PVCs are common and may be experienced by many people without causing any issues. If they are frequent, PVCs may weaken your heart and increase your risk for heart failure.
The rhythm of your heart is controlled by a bundle of fibers located in the upper right-hand part of your heart. the window doctor is called the sinoatrial node, or SA. Electrical signals travel from this node to the lower heart chambers or ventricles.
Causes
PVCs occur by the electrical impulse that normally triggers your heartbeat at the Sinus Node (also known as the Sinoatrial or SA node) is not initiated. The impulse actually starts in the ventricles and causes an untimed heartbeat. These extra beats, called ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, could feel as if your heart skipped a beat or feels like it is fluttering. They can occur infrequently and cause no symptoms, or they can happen often enough to affect your quality of life. If they happen frequently or cause dizziness, weakness, or fatigue, your doctor could treat them with medication.
PVCs are generally safe and do not increase the risk of heart disease. Over time, repeated PVCs can weaken the heart muscle. This is especially the case if they are caused by a heart disease such as dilated cardiomyopathy arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, which may lead to symptomatic heart failure.
The symptoms of PVCs include feeling like your heart beats slower or it flutters. You may feel breathless. The fluttering may be more apparent when you exercise or have certain drinks or food items. People who experience chronic stress or anxiety can have more PVCs, and some medications such as amiodarone, digoxin, and cocaine may increase the risk of developing them.
If you experience occasional PVCs Your doctor may suggest lifestyle changes and medications. If you have frequent PVCs, your doctor might recommend avoiding certain foods and drinks such as alcohol and caffeine. You can also reduce your stress levels by getting enough sleep and working out.
If you have a lot of PVCs Your doctor may suggest a medical procedure known as radiofrequency catheter ablation, which destroys the cells that cause them. Electrophysiologists are the ones who carry out this procedure. The treatment is typically successful in treating PVCs and reducing symptoms, but it does not stop them from recurring in the future. In some instances, it can increase the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AFib) which could lead to stroke. This is rare but it could be life-threatening.
Symptoms
Premature ventricular contractions, also known as PVCs, can make your heart appear to skip or flutter one beat. These extra heartbeats are harmless, but you might be advised to consult your physician when they occur frequently or if you are experiencing symptoms like dizziness, or fatigue.
The normal electrical signals start in the sinoatrial, located in the upper right-hand corner of the heart. They then travel to the lower chambers, or ventricles, where blood pumps are located. The ventricles contract to propel blood into your lungs and then return to your heart to begin the next cycle of pumping. However, a PVC starts in a different location and is located in the bundle of fibers called the Purkinje fibers, located in the left-hand side of the heart.
When PVCs occur they can make the heart feel as if it's beating faster or slower. If you experience only just a few episodes and there are no other symptoms, your cardiologist will probably not be able to treat you. But if you have a lot of PVCs, the doctor may suggest an electrocardiogram, or ECG to gauge your heart rate over a 24-hour period. The doctor might also recommend wearing a Holter monitor, which will record your heart rhythm over time to determine the number of PVCs you have.
People who have suffered previously from a heart attack or cardiomyopathy, an illness that affects heart's blood flow - should take their PVCs seriously and consult an expert in cardiology about lifestyle modifications. Those include avoiding caffeine, alcohol and smoking, reducing anxiety and stress, and getting enough sleep. A cardiologist may prescribe medications to slow the heartbeat like a beta blocker.
Even if there aren't any other indications however, you should have PVCs examined by an expert in cardiology if they occur often. These extra heartbeats can be a sign of a problem with the structure of your heart or other health issues, and over time, if they occur often enough, they could weaken the heart muscle. However, most people with PVCs don't experience any problems. They want to know if the irregular heartbeats or fluttering is normal.
Diagnosis
PVCs may feel like heartbeats that are fluttering, especially if they are frequent and intense. People who experience them regularly may feel faint. Exercise can trigger them, but most athletes who suffer from them do not have heart or health problems. PVCs could show up in tests such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) or Holter monitor. These patches have sensors that record electrical impulses coming from your heart. A cardiologist might also use an echocardiogram that uses ultrasound to look at the heart and see how it's working.
Most of the time, a doctor will be able to identify if the patient is suffering from PVCs from a patient's history and physical exam. Sometimes, however, they may only be able to detect PVCs when they examine a patient for another reason such as following an accident or a surgery. Ambulatory ECG monitoring systems can help detect PVCs and other arrhythmias, and could be utilized when there is a concern of a cardiac condition.
If your cardiologist determines your heart is structurally healthy, reassurance might be all that's needed. However, if your symptoms are troubling or make you feel anxious, avoiding alcohol, caffeine and other decongestants and reducing stress can help. Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight and drinking enough fluids can all help to reduce the frequency of PVCs. If the symptoms persist or are extreme, talk to your doctor about possible treatments that could help control the symptoms.
Treatment
If PVCs are rare or don't cause symptoms, they don't usually need treatment. If they happen frequently, your doctor might be able to look for heart problems or suggest lifestyle changes. You could also have an operation (called radiofrequency cathode ablation) to eliminate of them.
When you have PVCs, the electrical signal that triggers your heartbeat is generated from a place different than the sinoatrial nerve (SA node) in the top right side of your heart. This could cause your heart to feel as if it skips a beating or has extra beats. It's not known what causes these symptoms, but they're common in people who have other heart conditions. PVCs may increase in frequency as you age, and may be more frequent during exercise.
A doctor should perform an ECG as well as an echocardiogram for a patient who suffers from frequent and painful PVCs to identify structural heart conditions. They may also perform an exercise stress test to see if the extra beats are a result of physical exercise. To determine whether there are any other causes for the increased beats, a heart catheterization or cardiac MRI could be conducted.
The majority of people who suffer from PVCs do not suffer from any issues and can live a normal lifestyle. However, they can increase the risk of developing dangerous heart rhythm issues, especially if you have certain patterns of them. In some instances, this means that the heart muscle gets weaker and is unable to pump blood throughout your body.
Regular exercise and a balanced diet will reduce your risk of developing PVCs. Avoid foods high in sodium and fat, and limit your intake of caffeine and tobacco. Sleep and stress are also important. Certain medications can increase your risk of getting PVCs. If you take any of these medications, it is important that you follow your doctor's recommendations regarding healthy eating, exercising, and taking your medication.
Studies of patients suffering from an excessive amount of PVCs (that's more than 20% of their total heart beats) found that they had a higher risk of arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy. This could lead to a need for a heart transplant in some individuals.