Why It's Important to See a Doctor

Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are a form of irregular heartbeat. These extra beats aren't usually risky, and they may disappear on their own.

To diagnose PVC doctors listen to your heartbeat and check other vital signs. They may order an Holter Monitor which records the electrical impulses of your heart over a period of between 24 and 48 hours. They can also request blood tests to determine your thyroid hormones and electrolyte levels.

Diagnosis

PVCs are caused by electrical impulses which misfire through the SA node, which is a structure located in the lower chambers of the heart. This causes the next heartbeat to be delayed, leading to a feeling like fluttering or skipped beats. PVCs can be seen as a single event, or in repeated patterns. Doublets are two consecutive PVCs. Ventricular tachycardia is three or more consecutive PVCs.

Some people do not experience any symptoms, but others experience palpitations. It can be felt as a pounding heartbeat or a skipping heartbeat. Other symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, or a feeling of being unwell.

Many people who experience occasional PVCs don't need any treatment. If a person has frequent episodes, doctors may recommend a change in diet or lifestyle like limiting alcohol, caffeine and stress. They may also prescribe medications like beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers which can lower the heart rate and lower blood pressure.

Doctors will inquire about their medical history and conduct an examination of the body to check on their general health. They can also employ a Holter monitor to record the heart's rhythms for a longer period of time or an electrocardiogram which captures a picture of the electrical activity within the heart. Doctors may order blood tests in certain cases to look for imbalances in electrolytes or toxic substances in the body.

Occasionally, a pvc doctor will refer a patient to a specialist for heart rhythm problems, or an electrophysiologist, for further evaluation. The doctor will confirm the diagnosis of PVCs and determine if they are benign or not.

PVCs are fairly frequent and usually don't cause any problems, except when they are frequent over a long time. This can lead to a weakening of the heart muscle, or a condition referred to as pvc-induced cardiomyopathy. It is more prevalent in older adults or those with heart disease. It can also happen to healthy people who have a normal, normal heart. However, it is more common in those who regularly exercise. It is not a major condition, but you should consult your physician if you notice symptoms such as fainting or fatigue occur.

Treatment

For many, occasional PVCs may not cause any symptoms or are harmless and require no treatment. If you notice that your heart is racing or not making an entire beat, you need to consult a doctor immediately.

A cardiologist begins by conducting an interview and then perform a physical examination, and monitoring your heart using the stethoscope to look for irregular beats. Additionally, you will undergo an electrocardiogram, which records the electrical signals of your heart to detect any arrhythmias. If an arrhythmia is detected then an portable ECG or 24-hour Holter monitor will be required to record the irregular rhythm for longer periods of time. These devices can assist doctors determine if you suffer from PVCs and the reason for them, such as an imbalance in electrolytes, toxicity of drugs or other factors.

You might be asked to undergo an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of your heart) to determine the health of your heart is in good order and to look for structural problems which could lead to PVCs. You could also be asked to undergo stress tests to assess the response of your heart to exercise. Physical activity can increase your frequency of PVCs. You can also have blood tests to check your thyroid, magnesium, and potassium hormone levels to find out whether they are insufficient which could contribute to the development of PVCs.

Once your bifold doctor has confirmed that you have PVCs and has eliminated any serious illnesses, the decision of whether or not to treat them will be contingent on the degree to which they're affecting your life and how frequently they occur. If they only occur occasionally and do not cause symptoms the doctor is not likely to recommend any medication that can reduce their frequency or severity.

If you have frequent PVCs that can trigger heart palpitations, or other symptoms such as feeling light-headed or fainting, your physician might prescribe medications like beta blockers and calcium channel blockers. Making changes to your lifestyle in order to avoid triggers, like smoking, caffeine, and excessive stress, can also help lower the number of instances of these unusual pulses.

Prevention

PVCs can cause no symptoms or heart palpitations which can be described as "skipped beats" or flutters in your chest. Sometimes, these episodes can cause an increase in pressure or fullness in the chest, and other times they can make a person feel faint. These episodes result from the heart not pumping as effectively as it should. PVCs are associated with a higher risk of developing dilated cardiac myopathy. This is a condition where the heart becomes enlarged and in a position to not pump blood.

PVCs are usually caused by changes in the body's chemical chemistry. They can be caused by the release of thyroid and adrenaline hormones, in addition to drinking caffeine or alcohol. Lack of exercise can trigger these episodes, as can stress or excessive weight.

Some people can find that a change in diet helps reduce their PVCs. For example, they can avoid foods that contain preservatives that can cause a disturbance in the heartbeat, for example disodium Guanylate (E621) disodium inosinate (E627), and diazole sodium (E282-283). It is also recommended to take in more fruits and vegetables to ensure they're getting enough potassium and magnesium.

It is essential to have regular health check-ups, which include yearly physicals and lab tests. These tests can help diagnose any heart conditions that may be causing your PVCs. It is also recommended to adhere to an eat-healthy diet and avoid smoking, which could increase the frequency of your episodes.

A survey of 14 typical hospital wards found that healthcare staff were generally aware of preventive measures to avoid infections caused by vascular catheters, however their self-assessed conformity to these guidelines was low. After a feedback intervention that improved compliance on certain wards but was still low. This suggests that education on how to implement the preventive measures is required, and that those areas that are not as well-adjusted should be targeted for surveillance of infection. This information can then be used to guide the implementation of further quality improvement initiatives for these wards. This will likely require more training and education for personnel. It will also involve making sure that the right materials are in place for the implementation of preventive measures.

Signs and symptoms

The premature contraction of the ventricular muscle can cause your heart to skip beats or be fluttering. These arrhythmias may be harmless or they can be a sign of serious heart problems.

In healthy people, occasional PVCs aren't an issue and they usually go away by themselves. If you're suffering from a lot of them, they may cause dizziness or weakness. Talk to your upvc window doctor if you're concerned. You may need to give a medical history, and they may also conduct an examination to determine the cause. They'll also probably want to perform an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) or other tests.

A short ECG test lets your bifold doctor see the heartbeat signal moving through your body over a short period of time. The test will show if you have PVCs. Your doctor may also suggest a Holter monitor that records your heartbeat over a longer period of time. These tests can help differentiate PVCs from arrhythmias causing heart palpitations. You might also be wearing a device that can record your heart rhythm over the course of 30 days, which is known as an event monitor.

Other heart tests may be required, based on the cause of your PVCs. For example a cardiologist could check your blood pressure and perform an ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram). These tests can tell whether you are suffering from a condition such as heart failure, mitral valve prolapse, or cardiomyopathy.

Your doctor might also need to run an analysis of your blood to determine what's wrong in your electrolytes, like low potassium or high levels of calcium. This could indicate that you have PVCs or another condition such as anemia or anxiety disorders.

You may be referred to a specialist in electrophysiology, who can treat irregular heart rhythms. If you have heart disease that is structural the specialist may have to do other tests, like an MRI or CT scan of your chest. These tests can determine whether your heart has been damaged and how severe the damage is. In certain cases an expert may recommend a pacemaker to treat the condition that causes the PVCs.