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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
premature ectopic complexes
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premature ectopic complexes
by SJ__0, Mar 30, 1998 12:00AM
Hi. I just had an ECG which read as follows:
NORMAL SINUS RHYTHM WITH FREQUENT PREMATURE ECTOPIC COMPLEXES
OTHERWISE NORMAL ECG
Vent. rate 84 bpm
PR interval 172 ms
QRS duration 76 ms
QT/QTc 380/443 ms
P-R-T axes 70 43 31
(Female, 5'4", 113 lbs, blood pressure 100/70 or so)
I understand from my internist & from web articles that this isn't
life-threatening. I gather that I have an atrial or supraventicular
arrythmia, and that the usual environmental factors are stress,
tobacco, caffeine, and alcohol. I don't smoke or drink, and I had
LESS caffeine than usual (a couple of orange jelly sticks!), so I
guess that would leave stress, but I haven't had more of THAT than
usual, either. I'm 45, on Prempro for 10 years. My heart feels
like it's thudding around and then absent-minded about beating. I
know this isn't the worst thing in the world, but it bothers me
and scares me. Is it permanent? What should I be doing other than
not thinking about it????:-) How can I make it stop this nonsense!
Does this make me vulnerable to heart disease or other disorders?
Could this be a consequence of premature ovarian failure or taking
Prempro for this many years?
Thank you so much for helping people like me over the web.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF CARDIO MD DLB, Mar 30, 1998 12:00AM
_
Premature beats can be from either the top chambers (atria) or bottom chambers (ventricles) of the heart. The majority of the time, premature beats are benign. Eliminating (not just reducing) tobacco, alcohol and caffeine can be useful in certain cases. Premature beats can be a source of considerable concern and aggravation to an individual patient. If a patient is bothered by premature beats because of a fear of serious underlying heart disease, many times an exercise stress test with an echocardiogram is performed; this evaluates exercise capacity, determines whether the premature beats degenerate to a more serious heart rhythm disturbance with exercise, evaluates the heart for structural abnormalities, and also examines the heart for possible blood flow problems. If this sort of evaluation does not indicate any serious cardiac condition, but the patient is still bothered by the premature beats, medications can be prescribed, with modest success. Sometimes several medications need to be tried. Of course, all medications have potential side effects; therefore, medications are used only if the premature beats are really interfering with a patient’s quality of life.
I hope this information has been useful. Information provided here is of a general nature. Only your doctor can recommend appropriate testing and prescribe indicated therapy. If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiac electrophysiologist (a cardiologist specializing in heart rate and heart rhythm problems).
Premature beats can be from either the top chambers (atria) or bottom chambers (ventricles) of the heart. The majority of the time, premature beats are benign. Eliminating (not just reducing) tobacco, alcohol and caffeine can be useful in certain cases. Premature beats can be a source of considerable concern and aggravation to an individual patient. If a patient is bothered by premature beats because of a fear of serious underlying heart disease, many times an exercise stress test with an echocardiogram is performed; this evaluates exercise capacity, determines whether the premature beats degenerate to a more serious heart rhythm disturbance with exercise, evaluates the heart for structural abnormalities, and also examines the heart for possible blood flow problems. If this sort of evaluation does not indicate any serious cardiac condition, but the patient is still bothered by the premature beats, medications can be prescribed, with modest success. Sometimes several medications need to be tried. Of course, all medications have potential side effects; therefore, medications are used only if the premature beats are really interfering with a patient’s quality of life.
I hope this information has been useful. Information provided here is of a general nature. Only your doctor can recommend appropriate testing and prescribe indicated therapy. If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiac electrophysiologist (a cardiologist specializing in heart rate and heart rhythm problems).
