cardiologist view on palpitations/pvc's

[saab]

Hi. I was a member a few years ago, but have had to re-register to post. My anxiety has been caused by having very frequent palpitations (pvc's or 'missed' beats), often hundreds if not thousands a day. Although told that they are benign they are so frequent and frightening that I struggle to come to terms with them being harmless.

Anyway, I often look at the All Experts Cardiology forum where two retired cardiologists answer heart questions (Dr T and Dr David Richardson).

I have found their answers very reassuring. They always advise that anyone with palpitations should have them checked by a doctor (eh ekg and/or echocardiogram), but in the absence of any structural defect or heart disease, they always seem to say that pvc's are harmless, no matter how many a day (even say 50% of beats), no matter how strongly you feel them.

I would suggest that anyone worrying about their heart gets it checked out, then has a look at the forum. I even printed out a list of their answers to read through when I feel very anxious.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Heart-Cardiology-964/


My other advice is to get Claire Weekes 'Self Help for Your Nerves' and Richard Carlson 'Stop Thinking Start Living' - two really great books that have helped me through some very tough times with health anxiety.

[saab]

Here are some of the answers that cardiologist David Richardson gives to people asking about pvc's. Remember, these are people who had had the appropriate tests and been told by their own doctors that they are ok. Palpitations should always be checked out just in case.

"Dear Matt,
PVC's are normal cardiac activity; normal in the senses that about half of us have them, that they are easy to understand as normal from knowledge of the heart's electrical system, and that they don't mean you have heart disease or will in the future develop heart disease or any catastrophe. PVC's are no threat to life or health. Please ignore them.
Don't hesitate to write back if this note doesn't answer all your questions.
David Richardson

Dear Holly,
Premature heart beats are normal cardiac events. They don't mean you have heart disease or will in the future develop heart disease or any catastrophe. About half of us have them. You need not be scared of them. YOUR HEART WILL NOT STOP! They usually last about ten years and then fade away.

Dear Stephanie,
No matter how frequent, even every other beat, PVC's are benign for someone with normal echo and EKG. Try not to be scared. You'll be o.k. Ablation for PVC's is tricky and doesn't always work. Drugs like flecainide are very safe and quite effective in lessening the frequency of PVC's. They will subside, though it make take years even a decade or two.

Dear Carrie,
PVC's are normal cardiac events that do not lead in the future to heart disease or sudden death. They're a nuisance but no threat to life or health even if they occur every other beat. Only people with abnormal structure or function of the heart need to fear PVC's and your heart structure and function are normal as shown on the echo.
Coffee makes PVC's more frequent in some people. Fear, anxiety and neosynephrine, may make them more frequent, as does lying down. Exercise makes them less frequent, but just during the exercise, not during rest after exercise. Moderate alcohol doesn't affect PVC's in most people.

Well, I think the biggest change in life style you can make is to ignore the PVC's as not harmful but normal. Reducing anxiety will decrease the PVC's, but even if it doesn't, at least you wont worry so much.

Dear Kathy,
You need not be concerned. A PVC every other heart beat is o.k. So are 2 or 3 or even 5 PVC's in a row. I think even 50% of total heart beats is o.k. With a normal echo you have no concerns about PVC's."


I hope this is helpful - if you look at All Experts cardiology you will see that many, many people suffer with pvc's and the answer is invariably that they are harmless and benign in those with a normal ekg and echocardiogram.

[jarar5153]

Hey I really appreciate these posts they are very helpful and honestly most of my PAC and PVC's have gone away just knowing they are not harmful and couldn't thank you enough. I would just like one more conformation on this and that is I usually experience very strong ones during a panic while on a far walk and they actually are a very strong squeeze it feels extremly dangerous but i don't seem to get vertigo or any side effect besides a pain that radiates in the general area and down the left arm a little, I have had tests done for echo, ekg, and stress and everything was fine also i can play sports for hours and be fine, i just want some conformation on no matter how many i experience it wont damage my heart.

---------- Post added at 02:07 ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 ----------

I know this is an old post but a new problem for me ahah, one more thing these people who have them a couple thousand times a day do they feel everyone of them? sometimes mine are a flutter and other times it's a very strong contraction that sort of hurts usually during a high stress situations and of course once one happens many occur after... if you could answer these it would be a life saver.

[Intercity]

Very interesting thank you.

I am on citalopram for over a year and slowly feeling better. I can go for weeks with no chest pains then bang 1 second chest pain going down left arm then gone. It is awful thinking you're going to die and it sort of knocks me back a few months. Just trying to get back to normal.

I get all the normal stuff feeling sick, tight throat, fast heart beat still on 20mg down from 40mg.

Thanks for the post I think we have all lost our confidence cause that is what it does to you.

BE STRONG