PVC in 30 week fetus

I was in the hospital today and my son had an irregular heart beat. the baseline was about 130 and everyonce in a while it would skip a beat. The Doctor said it was PVC(premature ventrical contractions) How worried should i be? they said that it is pretty normal and to stay away from caffeine and it normally corrects itself before birth or shortly after birth. I am still worried, is everything going to be ok? is he going to need extened care after birth. thank you

[Jeffrey R Boris, M.D.]

Dear Swelch,

Isolated premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) during second and third trimester of pregnancy are very common.  They usually disappear by birth, or soon thereafter.  As long as he is not having multiple early beats in succession, it is not a problem.  I can’t say for sure what will happen with your son, but if there are only a few of these and there’s no evidence of an intracardiac tumor, his risk for complications is low.