PVC's in a row

[CareBear59]

Hi!
I went to have my holter monitor taken off yesterday and told the technician I had many "flutters" while it was on.  She really scared me by saying "oh no, that means you're having a bunch of PVC's in a row and that's not good".  Now I'm really scared from my palpitations and probably won't hear anything until Monday or Tuesday.  Can you ease my mind.  I've had numerous resting ekg's, and echo in April which was fine and a holter last January that at that time just captured extra beats of both kinds.  I've never had a stress test though.  So, I guess my question is:  was she right?  Are you at more risk if you get PVC's in row with no regular beats in between sometimes?
Thanks for all of your help.  You are all wonderful to answer all of these questions everyday!!
Happy Holidays,
C.

[Carrie Shelton]

Thanks for your comments Will!  I think sometimes palpitations can cause panic or anxiety attacks with alot of people!!
Carrie

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

Again, it depends on whether you have underlying heart disease or not. If you have heart disease, PVCs in a row can be serious.

[curious]

if pvc's are of more concern if you get more in a row, how many consecutive pvc's become dangerous? i have many times when they come consecutive and very few regular beats in between. i also feel them in my head, as a slow pressure feeling in correlation with heartbeats, that speeds up as my heartbeat becomes regular .i know it sounds weird, and i can't get an explaination, because these beats have not happened while i was on the 24 hour monitor or during my ekg. i also get the feeling in my head when i stand, with a little bit of dizziness until the beat becomes regular. is this something i should be concerned about or is it just part of the course with pvc's? i have become used to the pvc's and they don't scare me as much, until they get so regular. i cannot take medication because of low blood pressure, so i have to deal with them. thanks in advance

[will]

So what tests are you suggesting this patient have that will help determine whether he has an "underlying heart disease?"  He says he has had EKG's, an Echo and a prior Holter test and it seems that nobody has apparently previously mentioned anything to him about possible heart disease being a concern if he is having multiple and consecutive palpitations.  Wouldn't you have expected that the physicians who have ordered these tests have already determined that this fellow does not have heart disease?  Somebody interpreted the echo and apparently advised the patient that the result did not reveal a problem.  My suspicion is that the patient was provided yet another Holter to allieviate his fears that "there is nothing wrong" with him. He has probably experienced a panic attack with his palpitations.  While you may not be able to diminish the fears of this patient,  he should be assured that if he is under the care of a physician,  he should not worry about the comments of the Holter nurse.  I would tell this patient to contact his primary physician and advise of the statements made by the nurse. Keep up the good work.

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

It really depends. If your PVCs have been classified as benign, having a few in a row, is not usually a problem. If you have underlying heart disease, having a few in a row could be a harbinger of serious, life-threatening arrythmias in the future.