Are premature ventrical contractions or PVC's dangerous?

Question:

Answers:
According to the cardiologist which saw me when I ended up in the emergency room because I was afraid I was having a heart attack, no, they aren't dangerous by themselves. They're just damned inconvenient to have.

However, you might be having them as a symptom of another problem, so if you've got them, it's best to let a doctor keep an eye on you to make sure you aren't developing any other cardiovascular problem, too.

Other Answers:
I have PVC"s. My doctor gave me a heart monitor (called a halter) to wear for 24 hours. He said that although I was having them I wasn't having them often enough to cause me to need medication for them. I was having them about 5-6 times per minute and he said that if it was 10 or more times a minute that he would put me on medicine. That was about 3 years ago and since the amount of stress that I had in my life has greatly decreased they have virtually gone away. I am having maybe 1 or two every 5 minutes if that. So if your are under a lot of stress I recommend that you try your best to decrease it. Good luck!

Whether or not PVCs are dangerous depends on your situation. If you have seen you doctor and been properly tested for heart problems (ECG, stress test, blood tests, etc.) and he/she has given you a clean bill of health, they are probably normal variations due to aging, especially if they are very infrequent.

PVCs become a problem when they are of sudden onset. PVCs, in case you didn't know, are early depolarizations of the heart that originate in the ventricles, which are at the bottom of the heart. Normal heart beats originate from the sino-atrial node (SA Node) in the upper right area of the heart, on top of the right atrium. Depolarizations that originate in the ventricles, like PVCs, do so because the ventricles are irritated to the point that they self-excite and set off the heart.

When PVCs suddenly occur, they are a sign that the ventricles are suddenly experiencing a stress and irritation. PVCs may be caused by stress, excessive stimulant consumption (like caffeine), or by certain medications. The most serious cause of PVCs, however, is a heart attack.

Infrequent PVCs are lower in risk, however still somewhat dangerous if not examined by a physician. Even more dangerous, however, are PVCs that occur more often than a few times a minute or that occur in groups, either every third beat (trigeminy), every second beat (bigeminy), two paired together (PVC couplet), or three or more paired together, called a run of ventricular tachycardia or V-tach. The more PVCs you have in a minute, the more dangerous your condition.

The biggest risk of a PVC is sudden cardiac arrest. This can occur in one of two ways. First is a continuous run of PVCs at a rate faster than the heart can fill with blood to pump. This is known as ventricular tachycardia and can be either with or without pulses. Truth be told, however, if v-tach with a pulse is not quickly resolved, it will almost always end up in pulseless v-tach. Either rhythm is a very ominous sign and requires immediate 911 assistance, including CPR (if pulseless), defibrillation, medications, and immediate emergent transport to the hospital emergency department for further cardiovascular care.

The second risk of frequent PVCs is if a PVC occurs during the period when the heart is repolarizing. There is a point where the heart is still recharging, but can be forced to contract if enough electrical force is applied to it. If a PVC occurs during this period, a patient will go into ventricular fibrillation, a useless quivering, erratic electrical activity of the heart that is always pulseless. Ventricular fibrillation, also known as v-fib, is the most common rhythm seen in sudden cardiac arrest patients.

To summarize, any PVC is of concern and should be immediately by a physician. If you have a history of them and have been properly examined, though, you should not be terribly concerned, as it is just a normal part of how your body operates now.

they arent usually dangerous, but they can be if they are happening because of another problem like an electrolyte imbalance or heart defect, but for most people they are completely harmless. it might be a good idea to get checked out to be on the safe side, but dont let them scare you too much.
Source(s):
i get thousands of them a day

Hi. PVCs are actually very common and may not require treatment. It occurs in young and old patients. Sometimes we see PVCs in heart attacks and underlying heart diseases, but it's commonly seen in healthy hearts. An occassional PVC is nothing to worry about. However, having a "run of PVCs", which means three or more in a row (salvos), can lead to a deadly arrythmia called v tach. You may not be able to catch this on a routine ekg. A holter monitor is a portable ekg (about the size of an iPod) that you wear for 24-48 hours, which will record an ekg continuously. But if you get PVCs every so often, and your heart checked out fine, I wouldn't worry about it. DrP

Eric N's answer is right on ! I, too, have PVC's but I'm in that unfortunate small group that has the Bigeminy & Trigeminy runs, couplets, v-tach.the whole 9 yards, up to and including a sudden cardiac arrest in June of 1999.thank god, I was sitting right in front of the cardiologist when it happened !

In the beginning of this; I got the usual speech about "ALot of people have PVCs' and they aren't dangerous.most people don't even feel them." ( Oh Yea ?? :-( ) I told him it wasn't the ones I couldn't feel that worried me ! It was the ones that felt like my horse kicked me in the chest , that was bothering me ! .well, 1 look at an EKG.changed his tune. I was in deep trouble.

Stress is a BIG factor.family genetics are too. Then you have hearts that just get an "electrical short" in them. who knows the WHY of it ?

If you have had or are having hard PVC's that you can FEEL; GET THEM CHECKED OUT ASAP ! I mean -- throughly ! If you don't feel confidence in your present dr,.GET ANOTHER ONE !

everyone throws PVCs every once in awhile, not dangerous unless you are becoming symptomatic.. or it is resulting in bigeminy, trigeminy etc..

More Questions and Answers

The consumer health information on youqa.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.

Are premature ventrical contractions or PVC's dangerous?

Health Resources