Questions posted in the
Heart Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
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Subject: Re: pvc's I am presently taking tambacor and toprol to control my pvc's. the doc's told me they were not serious in nature. But they really hurt and were very troublesome when trying to exert myself. How serious can these be? When I had an ekg at the er they said I was in bigeminy (sp). What does that mean? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Debbie: Bigeminy means that every other beat is a PVC. PVCs are generally benign and require no treatment. If they are very bothersome to the patient, medications can be used. Unfortunately, these medications are associated with possibly severe side effects that are worse than the condition being treated. Rarely, PVCs can indicate severe underlying heart disease. This is more true of PVCs that increase with exercise. I think you should be evaluated by a cardiac electrophysiologist, a cardiologist who specializes in PVCs. He can determine if you do have a serious underlying heart condition. If not, he can tailor therapy to treat your symptoms without causing too many side effects. Information provided here is of a general nature. Specific diagnoses and treatments can only be made by your doctor. If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiac electrophysiologist at Desk F15. | |
