Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs)

Your healthcare provider asks you about your symptoms and health history and performs a physical exam. They may listen to your heartbeat with a stethoscope to check for signs of irregularities.

Usually, the first test is an electrocardiogram (EKG). An EKG measures your heart rate and evaluates the electrical signals in your heart. Your provider usually can see an arrhythmia or extra beats clearly on an EKG.

Sometimes, you may wear a Holter monitor or another type of heart monitor to measure your heart’s electrical activity over several days. Measuring your heart rhythm and heart rate over a few days can help detect infrequent PVCs.

What tests can diagnose causes of PVCs?

Your provider may recommend other tests if you have many PVCs or have had them for a long time. These tests check for root causes of PVCs, including other heart problems. You may have:

Blood tests that evaluate your potassium and thyroid hormone levels.
Cardiac stress testing that measures your heart rate and blood flow through your heart arteries during exercise.
Cardiac MRIs or CT scansthat look at your heart’s structure, function and blood flow.
Coronary angiograms that show your heart’s blood vessels to help identify irregularities in blood flow, including blocked or narrowed blood vessels.
Echocardiograms (echo) that allows a visual assessment of your heart function, valvular heart function, and how blood flows through your heart chambers.
Electrophysiology studies that analyze the electrical activity in your heart.

Symptoms

When to see a doctor

Request an appointment

Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.

The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:

High blood pressure.
Diabetes.
Heart failure.
Some types of heart valve disease.

Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:

Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Don't smoke or use tobacco.
Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce and manage stress.

By Freedmans Health Clinic Staff

Living with atrial fibrillation?

Connect with others like you for support and answers to your questions in the Heart Rhythm Conditions support group on Freedmans Health Clinic Connect, a patient community.