PACs

Do PACs typically last for days? I thought I was having palpitations so after a constant 2 days, on day 3 I went to my cardiologist. He said I have PAC and it will come and go. I am 54 years old, and fearful.  It feels constant, not intermittent...How do I feel confident in the EKG?

[CCF HeartMD6]

PAC's are irregular depolarizations of the top chamber of the heart (atria). These are usually very benign and can occur with a wide variety of frequency and duration. However, if you are having symptomatic palpitations, it may be necessary to quantify how often they are occurring (estimating the burden) in order to determine if further treatment is warranted -- usually accomplished by either medications or an electrophysiology procedure such as an ablation.