How a VC Can Affect Your Heart
Many people have occasional PVCs with no problems. If they occur often, PVCs may weaken your heart and increase your chance of suffering from heart failure.
A bundle of fibers located in the upper right part of your heart (the sinoatrial or SA node) typically controls your heart's rhythm. Electrical signals are transmitted to the lower heart chambers or ventricles.
Causes
PVCs occur when the electrical impulse that normally starts your heartbeat at the Sinus Node (also called the Sinoatrial or SA node) is not initiated. Instead, the impulse starts in another area of your heart, the ventricles, and causes a wrongly timed beat. These extra beats, also called ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, can feel like your heart skipped a beat or is fluttering. Repair My Windows And Doors can occur infrequently and not cause any symptoms, or they can occur frequently enough to interfere with your quality of life. Your doctor may prescribe medication in the event that they are frequent or cause weakness, dizziness or fatigue.
For the majority of people, PVCs are harmless and aren't likely to increase your risk of developing heart disease or other health problems. A lot of PVCs, however, can weaken the heart muscle over time. This is particularly true if they are caused by a heart-related condition like dilated cardiomyopathy, or arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, which may lead to symptomatic heart failure.
The signs of PVCs include a feeling that your heart skips a beat or it flutters. You may feel exhausted. The fluttering may be more evident when you exercise or have certain drinks or food items. People who experience chronic anxiety or stress may have more PVCs, and some medications like amiodarone digoxin, and cocaine may increase the likelihood of developing them.
If you have occasional PVCs your doctor may suggest lifestyle changes and medications. If you are prone to frequent PVCs, your physician may suggest that you stay away from certain drinks and foods, such as caffeine and alcohol. You can also reduce your stress and take advantage of plenty of rest and exercise.
If you have a lot of PVCs Your doctor might suggest a medical procedure known as radiofrequency catheter ablation. It 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 returning in the future. In some instances it can increase your risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib), which can lead to a stroke. It's not common, but it can be life-threatening.
Signs and symptoms
Premature ventricular contracts, or PVCs can cause your heart to skip or be fluttering. These heartbeats can be harmless, but you should talk to your doctor in case you experience frequent episodes or other symptoms such as dizziness or weakness.
Normaly, electrical signals begin in the sinoatrial, located in the upper right part of the heart. They then travel to the lower chambers, or ventricles, that pump blood. The ventricles then contract to force blood into the lung. They return to the heart's center to begin the next cycle of pumping. However, a PVC begins in a different location and is located in the bundle of fibers called the Purkinje fibers in the left-hand side of the heart.
When PVCs occur, they cause the heart beat or feel as if it skipped the beat. If you experience just a few episodes but no other symptoms, your cardiologist probably won't treat you. But if you have a lot of PVCs, the doctor may recommend an electrocardiogram, or ECG to determine your heartbeat over the course of 24 hours. They may also suggest wearing a Holter Monitor that records your heartbeat and tracks the number of PVCs.
If you've had a previous heart attack or suffer from cardiomyopathy -an illness that affects how the heart pumps bloodand should take their PVCs seriously and talk to a cardiologist about changes to their lifestyle. These include abstaining from caffeine, alcohol, and smoking, reducing anxiety and stress, and getting enough rest. A cardiologist may prescribe beta blockers to slow down the heartbeat.
Even if there aren't any other signs, you should still get PVCs examined by a cardiologist if they happen frequently. These irregular heartbeats could be a sign of a problem with the structure of your lungs or heart, and if they happen often enough, it could weaken the heart muscle. But most people with PVCs don't have any issues. They are interested in knowing if the fluttering heartbeats or skipping heartbeats is normal.
Diagnosis
PVCs can be felt as fluttering or skipped heartbeats, particularly when they're frequent or intense. People who experience them often may feel weak. Exercise can cause them, but most athletes who suffer from them do not have heart or health problems. PVCs can be detected in tests like an electrocardiogram (ECG) or Holter monitor. These are sticky patches that have sensors that record electrical signals from your heart. A cardiologist might also use an echocardiogram that uses ultrasound to examine the heart and see how it's working.
A doctor can often tell if a patient has PVCs by conducting a thorough examination and taking a medical history. However, sometimes they will only be able to detect them when they examine the patient for other reasons, such as following an accident or surgery. Ambulatory ECG monitors can detect PVCs and other arrhythmias. They can be used to identify cardiac problems when there is a concern.
If your cardiologist finds that your heart is structurally normal, reassurance will be the only treatment needed. If your symptoms are causing you discomfort, or cause you to be anxious, avoiding alcohol, caffeine and other over the drug decongestants and reducing stress may aid. Getting regular exercise, staying at a healthy weight and drinking enough fluids can reduce your episodes of PVCs. If you are experiencing symptoms that are persistent or severe, talk to your physician about the medications that could help reduce them.
Treatment
If PVCs do not cause any symptoms or are not frequent generally, they don't require treatment. If you experience them frequently, your doctor may want to examine for other heart issues and recommend lifestyle changes or medications. You could also have a procedure (called radiofrequency cathode ablation) to eliminate of them.
If you have PVCs The electrical signal that triggers your heartbeat is generated from a place other than the sinoatrial node (SA node) in the top right corner of your heart. This can cause your heart to feel as if it skips a beating or has additional beats. It's unclear what causes these, but they're more common in people who have other heart conditions. PVCs may increase in frequency as you age, and may occur more often during exercise.
A doctor should perform an ECG along with an echocardiogram on a patient that has frequent and painful PVCs to rule out structural heart diseases. They may also perform an exercise stress test to determine whether the additional beats are caused by physical exercise. To determine whether there are any other causes for the extra beatings the heart catheterization or a cardiac MRI could be conducted.
The majority of people who suffer from PVCs have no complications and live an ordinary life. However, they can increase the risk of developing dangerous heart rhythm problems, especially if you have certain patterns of them. In some instances, this means that the heart muscle gets weaker and it is more difficult to pump blood throughout the body.
Regular exercise and a balanced diet can reduce your chances of developing PVCs. Avoid foods that are high in sodium and fat, and you should also restrict your intake of tobacco and caffeine. It is also important to get enough rest and manage stress. Some medicines can also increase your risk of PVCs. So if you take one of these medications it's crucial to follow your doctor's recommendations about a healthy diet, exercise and taking your medication.
In studies of patients suffering from PVC burdens that are high (more than 20% of the total heartbeats) there was a higher incidence of arrhythmia-induced myopathy in the heart was observed. This can result in the need for a heart transplant in a few people.