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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Any further action needed?//
Answered by
Cleveland - OH
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
Any further action needed?//
by Chrisinthesun10, Aug 04, 2003 12:00AM
I'm a 26 year old guy - repair of Tetralogy of Fallots aged 2.
Had ectopic heatbeats for a year now - approx 1 per 3mins last December - up to approx 1-2 per min currently.
I had a series of tests done at the Brompton in London last friday with the following results:
-Treadmill test - Finished at 17.5 mins, final stage. Ectopic beats almost totally vanished apart from one in the middle of the test, and a couple right at the end. Max HR 185. BP as expected before, during and after test.
-ECG normal for post-op fallots patient (shows RBBB)
-Echo normal.
-X-ray showed normal heart size.
Basically, my specialist was very happy - and whilst he could not explain why these beats were happening he felt that even for someone with previous heart surgery, that they were not anything to be concerned about.
He did not recommend drugs or any other procedures to try and remove these beats.
He said that the all seemed to be vertricular in origin, and seemd to be from the same location - although these beats do feel different to the ones I was getting, say, at the start of the year, which in turn feel different to the ones I was getting last year. I'm getting more now, but they are weaker than they were, say, last December.
My question is, is there anything else that I can/should be doing to follow up from these tests..as I am still getting 1-2 of these beats a min, EVERY day, constantly.
I'm also a bit concerned that they were approx 1 every 3mins last december, now 1-2 per min - how many am I going to be having in, say, 6 months from now?
Had ectopic heatbeats for a year now - approx 1 per 3mins last December - up to approx 1-2 per min currently.
I had a series of tests done at the Brompton in London last friday with the following results:
-Treadmill test - Finished at 17.5 mins, final stage. Ectopic beats almost totally vanished apart from one in the middle of the test, and a couple right at the end. Max HR 185. BP as expected before, during and after test.
-ECG normal for post-op fallots patient (shows RBBB)
-Echo normal.
-X-ray showed normal heart size.
Basically, my specialist was very happy - and whilst he could not explain why these beats were happening he felt that even for someone with previous heart surgery, that they were not anything to be concerned about.
He did not recommend drugs or any other procedures to try and remove these beats.
He said that the all seemed to be vertricular in origin, and seemd to be from the same location - although these beats do feel different to the ones I was getting, say, at the start of the year, which in turn feel different to the ones I was getting last year. I'm getting more now, but they are weaker than they were, say, last December.
My question is, is there anything else that I can/should be doing to follow up from these tests..as I am still getting 1-2 of these beats a min, EVERY day, constantly.
I'm also a bit concerned that they were approx 1 every 3mins last december, now 1-2 per min - how many am I going to be having in, say, 6 months from now?
Doctor's Answer
by Cleveland Clinic, Aug 04, 2003 12:00AM
, Aug 04, 2003 12:00AM
Chrisinthesun,
Maybe it should be Chrisintherain if your in London, thanks for the post.
Ectopic beats coming from the ventricle are referred to as PVC's. They are very common in people with structural heart disease and are also common in patients in the general population.
Single beats while often causing symptoms are not themselves dangerous, but can be quite bothersome.
While I'm sure your medical history is quite complex, if your heart function is normal, and you have never had strings of ventricular beats called ventricular tachycardia, there is no indication to treat you with medications just to to elimate the beats.
There are medications that can elimate the extra beats, but ironically when studied in patients with coronary disease actually caused more harm then good.
If you really went 17.5 mins on your treadmill testing that is impressive, much above average and gives you a good prognosis.
I hope this helps!
Maybe it should be Chrisintherain if your in London, thanks for the post.
Ectopic beats coming from the ventricle are referred to as PVC's. They are very common in people with structural heart disease and are also common in patients in the general population.
Single beats while often causing symptoms are not themselves dangerous, but can be quite bothersome.
While I'm sure your medical history is quite complex, if your heart function is normal, and you have never had strings of ventricular beats called ventricular tachycardia, there is no indication to treat you with medications just to to elimate the beats.
There are medications that can elimate the extra beats, but ironically when studied in patients with coronary disease actually caused more harm then good.
If you really went 17.5 mins on your treadmill testing that is impressive, much above average and gives you a good prognosis.
I hope this helps!
