Suggest Treatment For Heart Arrhythmia When Having PVC And PAC

Posted on Thu, 8 Jan 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 8 Jan 2015 Answered on

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I have a history of pvc and Pac. they were diagnosed years ago through a 30 day holter monitor. I've also had an echo, stress test, ekg. they seem to fluctuate in frequency and duration throughout the month. There are times where I'll only feel a handful of them in a day. there are other times where they are frequent. today, for example, I had periods this evening where I would get them frequently. I feel the skip, my heart speeds up for a few beats, then goes back to normal. this happens sometimes where I'll get a skipped beat every few seconds and it'll happen maybe 3 times. at what point do the pvc. and Pac become worrisome? my doctor has said they are benign and not to worry and there's no need for medication. I was at the doctor maybe 8 months ago for this. I'm 30 year old female. with no other major problems. thanks for your time.

Answered by Dr. Noble Zachariah (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
PACs are not a cause for concern.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to HCM and thanks for your query.
PACs, PVCs are very common arrhythmias and are often benign. In many people stressful situations increase the arrhytmia .
PACs are usually of no concern. Treatment is required if there are runs of ventricular ectopics (ventricular tachycardia ) or if there is R on T phenomenon which may lead to dangerous VT .
So in your case there is nothing to worry. Live a healthy lifestyle, eat wholesome food, exercise 30 minutes a day and practice stress relieving measures and you will be fine.
I shall be happy to answer any queries.
Have a good day
Dr Noble Zachariah

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Noble Zachariah (7 hours later)

thank you for your response. what is the r on t phenomenon? my heart rate is usually normal, with the exception of the few beats after the skipped beat. the other thing that happens is I get "Runs" of these skipped beats. for instance, today it was "skip-normal-skip-normal,etc" and it went on like that a total of maybe 10 times where every other beat was skipped. other than feeling it, I didn't have any other symptoms. is that still of no concern? thanks!

Answered by Dr. Noble Zachariah (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Relax, there is nothing to be concerned about.

Detailed Answer:
EKG has P,Q, R. S and T waves. A PVC will not have a P wave before it and QRS complex normally falls a little after the T wave normally. If on the other hand if the R wave occurs on T wave of the preceding complex, a dangerous arrhythmia may be triggered. Runs of 4 or more ventricular ectopics can provoke a dangerous arrhythmia. Normal and ectopics alternating is not dangerous in most instances.
If you are very concerned, there are simple medicines to reduce the ectopics. Exercise also diminishes most benign ectopics.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Noble Zachariah (6 hours later)

Okay, thank you for the detailed answer. is it true that hormones can play a part in skipped beats? I notice it's much worse around my cycle. last question- with the dangerous arrhythmias, do you typically notice different symptoms?

Answered by Dr. Noble Zachariah (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
hormones can affect arrhythmias

Detailed Answer:
Arrhythmias may occur related to your mood and stress levels. These are affected by hormonal changes and you may nomally have more arrhythmias during your periods.
If you have the following systems with your arrhythmia, you must contact your doctor.
Fatigue.
Dizziness.
Lightheadedness.
Fainting (syncope) or near-fainting spells.
Rapid heartbeat or pounding.
Shortness of breath.
Chest pain.

Take care,
Dr Noble

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar