![]() Some people with premature ventricular contractions seek a diagnosis from their doctors because they have felt heart palpitations or other symptoms and are worried about their heart health. It also causes a pause to occur before the next normal heartbeat. This abnormal beat disrupts the regular heart rhythm. The sinoatrial node creates an electrical impulse that prompts the heart’s upper chambers (atria) to contract (squeeze), followed by contractions of the heart’s lower chambers (ventricles).ĭuring a premature ventricular contraction, an abnormal electrical signal that originates in one of the heart’s lower chambers occurs after a normal heartbeat but before the next one. The normal heartbeat process is initiated by muscle fibers known as the sinoatrial node, located within the right atrium of the heart. The two upper chambers are known as the atria, and the two lower chambers are known as the ventricles. The condition is more problematic if a person has underlying heart disease or cardiomyopathy. They may occur on occasion and are generally harmless in healthy people. People may not know when they experience premature ventricular contractions. They occur when an electrical impulse fires from an unexpected area in the heart (the lower chambers), rather than from the part of the heart that is normally responsible for initiating the heartbeat (the upper chambers). Premature ventricular contractions are extra, abnormal heartbeats that temporarily change a person’s heart rhythm. Some patients who experience a very high burden of premature ventricular contractions exceeding 20% (i.e., 1 in 5 heartbeats is a premature ventricular contraction) may develop a cardiomyopathy and experience heart failure, which is fully reversible with treatment of the premature ventricular contractions. Treating the underlying cause of the condition may eliminate these irregular contractions from recurring. ![]() However, people with certain heart conditions, such as cardiomyopathy (a heart-muscle disease), who experience frequent premature ventricular contractions may be at increased risk of death, including sudden death. Some lifestyle changes may reduce the frequency of premature ventricular contractions, such as consuming less caffeine or adopting stress-reduction techniques. In most cases, premature ventricular contractions are sporadic and harmless. These abnormal contractions are more common among men than women, older adults than younger adults, and people with heart disease than those without it. Most people-even children-have occasional premature ventricular contractions. They may assume that their heart skipped a beat when it actually beat an extra time. ![]() Some people with premature ventricular contractions can sense a fluttering in their chest. It arises prematurely (before the next heartbeat is expected) in the heart’s ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart. A premature ventricular contraction is an occasional extra heartbeat that briefly throws off the heart’s regular rhythm.
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