pvcs/pacs/palpitations whats the difference

[chevy man]

whats the difference are palpitations more dangerous?

are the feelings different?

how can you tell?

[grendslori]

Chances are you still have nothing to worry abvout even with a mild dystolic dysfunction simply because it is mild. If you have HBP, that could even be the cause for the dysfunction.



Kim, The reason you feel a little funny in the head is because the heart did not fill up with the correct amount of blood, less blood leaves the heart, less blood makes it to the brain; hence: lightheadedness or dizziness. Can stress and worry about this make it a lot worse?? It certainly can so it is best to understand this is normal and try not to worry about it. If after all of this, if you are still concerned, it is always best to see you own doctor and have him evaluate you.

[chevy man]

thanks for the responses i guess there is need for concern due to the fact i have some mild dystolic dysfunction :(

[Kim_1970]

This answer really helped answer my questions...
So I would refer to my odd beats as palps then?

Why do some cause me to feel lightheaded?  
The ones that last for more than a few minutes....

Would that be structural or mental-- anxiety because of fear?

Still trying to figure this out....

[grendslori]

A PAC origionates in the upper chamber of the heart while a PVC origionates in the lower section of the heart. Papitations is an increased awareness of one's own heatbeat. the feeling of the PAC and PVC really is the same; you really can't tell the difference between the two. ALL people on the planet have PACs and PVCs every day; the cells of the heart have the ability to fire off impulses and those cells are a "back-up" system for the SA and AV nodes in the heart. Are they dangerous, no, unless there is some type of structural issue going on with the heart itself such as a cardiomyopathy where the muscle of the heart is diseased.

[is_something_wrong]

Good question, and you can be assured that you are not the first asking that question ;-)

Palpitations is really a highly non-specific word which just means that you feel your heartbeats or feel discomfort with your heart beats or heart rhythm. Palpitations can occur with a normal rhythm (but hard beats), a rapid (but still normal) rhythm, irregular rhythms or other arrhythmias. 100% of us have "palpitations" during a year.

PVCs are premature beats that occur in the heart chambers (ventricles)
PACs are premature beats that occur in the upper heart chambers (atria)

In general, neither PACs or PVCs are dangerous. In rare cases, they both have some potential to trigger arrhythmias. A PAC can in rare cases trigger a variety of supraventricular arrhythmias, where atrial fibrillation is one of them. A PVC can, given heart disease, in even less common cases trigger ventricular arrhythmias which are more serious. You need to see a cardiologist if you want to do this "risk analysis".

Are the feelings different? In general, no. At least that's what the doctors say. There may be some slight differences but it's very different from person to person, so it often causes more harm (anxiety and more premature beats) than good to monitor them yourself. If you want to know what's going on, ask your doctor for a 24 hour EKG monitoring and find out for sure!