How a VC Can Affect Your Heart

Many people experience occasional PVCs without any problems. If they are frequent, PVCs may weaken your heart and increase your risk for heart failure.

A bundle of fibers located in the upper right-hand corner of your heart (the sinoatrial node, also known as SA) typically controls the heart's rhythm. Electrical signals are transmitted to the lower heart chambers or ventricles.

Causes

PVCs happen when the electrical impulse that normally starts your heartbeat at a point known as the sinus node (also called the sinoatrial or SA node) isn't. The impulse actually begins in the ventricles, which causes a mistimed heartbeat. These extra beats, also called ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, can feel like your heart skipped a beat or is like it is fluttering. They can happen infrequently and not cause any symptoms, but they may also happen frequently enough to affect your quality of life. If they occur frequently or cause dizziness, weakness, or fatigue, your window doctor could treat them with medicine.

PVCs are generally safe and do not increase the risk of heart disease. A lot of PVCs however, may weaken the heart muscle over time. This is particularly relevant if the PVCs are caused by conditions like dilated cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right-ventricular cardiomyopathy, which can cause heart failure.

PVCs can trigger symptoms like a feeling of your heart skipping one beat, or even the feeling of your heart fluttering. It is also possible to feel breathless. The fluttering can be more apparent when you exercise or consume certain beverages or foods. People who experience chronic stress or anxiety can have more PVCs and certain medications such as amiodarone, digoxin, and cocaine can increase the risk of developing them.

If you experience occasional PVCs your doctor might suggest lifestyle changes and medications. If they're a frequent occurrence, you may have to avoid certain foods and beverages like caffeine and alcohol. You can also reduce your stress levels, and take advantage of plenty of rest and exercise.

If you have many PVCs Your window & door Doctor may recommend a medical procedure referred to as radiofrequency catheter ablation. This procedure eliminates the cells responsible for them. Electrophysiologists are the ones who perform this procedure. The treatment is usually effective in treating PVCs which reduce symptoms, but does not prevent them from recurring in the future. In certain cases, it may increase the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AFib), a condition that can lead to stroke. It's not common, but it can be life-threatening.

Symptoms

Premature ventricular contractures, or PVCs can cause your heart to skip or be fluttering. These extra heartbeats are usually harmless, however, you should talk to your doctor when you experience frequent episodes or other symptoms such as dizziness or weakness.

The normal electrical signals start in the sinoatrial, located in the upper right-hand part of the heart. They then travel to the lower chambers, also known as ventricles, where blood pumps are located. Then, the ventricles contract to propel the blood into the lungs, and then return to the heart to begin the next pumping cycle. But a PVC begins at a different spot that is separate from the bundle of fibers, known as the Purkinje fibers, located in the door doctor lower left part of the heart.

When PVCs occur, they cause the heart beat faster or feel as if it skipped one beat. If you've experienced only a few episodes, but no other symptoms, your cardiologist probably won't treat you. However, if you have number of PVCs the doctor may recommend an electrocardiogram, or ECG to gauge your heart rate over the course of 24 hours. They may also suggest wearing a Holter Monitor, which records the heart's rhythm and count the number of PVCs.

If you've had a prior heart attack or have cardiomyopathy -which affects the way that the heart pumps blood -- should be aware of their PVCs and talk to a cardiologist about changes to their lifestyle. This includes the avoidance of alcohol, caffeine, and smoking, managing anxiety and stress and getting enough sleep. A cardiologist can prescribe medications to slow the heartbeat, like beta blockers.

If you experience frequent PVCs, even if you don't have any other signs, you should see an expert in cardiology. These irregular heartbeats could indicate a problem with the structure of your heart or to other health conditions and, over time, when they are frequent enough, they may weaken the heart muscle. But the majority of people suffering from PVCs don't have any issues. They would like to know if fluttering heartbeats or skipping heartbeats is normal.

Diagnosis

PVCs can be akin to heartbeats that flutter, particularly if they're frequent and intense. People who experience them often may feel faint. Exercise can trigger them, but many athletes who experience these symptoms do not have heart or health issues. PVCs could show up in tests like an electrocardiogram (ECG) or Holter monitor. They use sticky patches with sensors on them to record electrical impulses coming from your heart. A cardiologist could also employ an echocardiogram, which makes use of ultrasound to examine the heart and observe how it's functioning.

A doctor may be able to identify if the patient has PVCs from a history and physical examination. Sometimes it is possible that they not be aware of PVCs until they examine a patient for another reason such as following an accident or a surgery. Ambulatory ECG monitoring systems can assist in detecting PVCs and other arrhythmias and could be utilized if there's any concern of a cardiac condition.

If your cardiologist concludes that your heart is structurally healthy, reassurance might be all you need. If your symptoms are troubling, or cause you to be anxious, avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and over the drug decongestants and decreasing stress can help. Regular exercise, being at a healthy weight and drinking enough water can also help reduce the window doctors frequency of PVCs. If your symptoms persist or severe, talk to your physician about the medications that may be able to manage these symptoms.

Treatment

If PVCs are rare or don't cause symptoms, they rarely need treatment. If you experience them frequently or frequently, your doctor window may wish to check for other heart conditions and recommend lifestyle changes or medications. You may also undergo an intervention to get rid of them (called radiofrequency catheter ablation).

If you have PVCs in your heart, the electrical signal which causes your heartbeat begins somewhere other than at the sinoatrial (SA) node that is located in the upper right-hand corner of your heart. This could cause your heart to feel as if it skips a beating or has extra beats. It's unclear what causes these symptoms, but they're common in people with other heart conditions. PVCs can increase in frequency as you age, and may occur more frequently during exercising.

A physician should perform an ECG and an echocardiogram for a patient who has frequent and painful PVCs to identify structural heart conditions. They should also conduct an exercise stress test to see whether the additional beats are due to physical exercise. To find out whether there are other reasons for the extra beats the heart catheterization or cardiac MRI is possible.

Most people who suffer from PVCs do not have any issues and can live an ordinary life. But they can increase your risk of having dangerous heart rhythm problems especially if you are suffering from certain patterns of them. In some cases, that means the heart muscle gets weaker and is having difficulty pumping blood throughout your body.

Regular exercise and a healthy diet can lower the chances of developing PVCs. You should avoid foods that are high in sodium and fat, and you should also restrict your intake of tobacco and caffeine. Sleep and stress are equally important. Certain medications can increase your risk of getting PVCs. If you are taking any of these medicines it is essential to follow the advice of your doctor regarding eating a healthy diet and exercising as well as taking your medication.

In studies of patients with high PVC burdens (more than 20% of heartbeats), a higher rate arrhythmia-induced cardiac myopathy was found. Some people may need a heart transplant.