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I have symptomatic PVCs. When do they become dangerous?
About 1 and a half years ago I developed symptomatic PVCs (right lower ventricle). I have had a failed ablation. When should I worry about these? Can they become dangerous?
5 Answers
The treatment options for symptomatic PVCs are ablation and medical treatment. They can be dangerous if become frequent with symptoms of lightheadedness, dizziness or passing out. Please consult an electrophysiologist ( expert in heart rhythm disease).
PVCs are known as premature ventricular contractions. Although they can occur normally in all individuals, when they are frequent, one sometimes feels palpitations and it may cause lightheadedness. If the PVCs remain frequent, then the heart over time can become weaker resulting in a cardiomyopathy. Ablations are not always successful, but there are many medications that can minimize PVCs. I would consider Beta blocker medication prescribed by your doctor, which are very commonly prescribed. If PVCs remain frequent after 1 year, it is not unreasonable to see if second ablation by an experienced EP cardiologist is worth attempting.
This is question better answered by a cardiologist (I am a cardiac surgeon), but I will try to answer as best as I can. PVCs can potentially convert into ventricular tachycardias, which can be very dangerous. If these PVCs are symptomatic, having an ablation is the best possible solution to control this. You should also have a cardiac catheterization and echocardiogram to see if there are other causes.
Would recommend second opinion from an academic electrophysiologist who will know how to work up this problem.
When they are sympathetic