Triggers for PVC's & Palpitations

[erijon]

Just a quick questions, can one's position be a trigger for PVC's and palpitations? I have had them all my life, I can remember feeling them as a young child. I tend to get them when I'm bending forward for example when I'm sitting at my desk and working on my laptop, or when I'm driving my old corvette and I need to scrunch down to see out the windshield or when leaning froward looking out the window during a flight. Also, they always seem to come at the absolute bottom of a breath when my lungs are empty after exhaling.

About me, I'm 50 years old with no real risk factors for CAD other than being 40 -50 points overweight, even though I have lost 70 pounds since January 2007. I 3 had complete cardiac workups since 2005 due to some chest pain, was later determined to be a bad gallbladder a couple of years later, it was removed and the pain went away. My workups included nuclear stress tests, echos and blood work, all normal. My last echo was 12 months ago, all normal. My heart is structurally normal and I work out 45 -60 mins a day on a treadmill at a target heart rate of 135 - 150 with no problems. PVC's are not brought on by exertion in any way, if fact if I'm experience any they usually go away with exercise.

Just interested in your thoughts. This is not a new event, I have always had periods of PVC's.

thanks!

Jon

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

I am not sure if those position represent triggers or body positions that increase venous return to your heart and therefore make it contract harder.  Perhaps increasing stretch on your heart triggers your palpitations but it is kind of a chicken and egg argument.  Regardless of whether it is cause or effect, body positions seem to make your PVCs worse or more noticeable.  Many people make the same observation about increased palpitations when they lay on their left side.

Typical triggers are caffeine, sleep deprivation, hormonal times of change, or stress.  The most common situation I see in clinic is identifiable trigger.

There are no concrete answers here and perhaps individuals all have different "correct" answers.  I hope this helps.

[erijon]

Excuse the typos, I did this from my laptop at the airport between flights and was a little rushed!

[free2bnakd]

I've noticed that I have increased palpitation when I am laying flat in bed either on my back or stomach...I've always just rolled over to my left side. Never really given positioning much thought...very good question.

I was also not aware that a bad gallbladder could cause chest pain!

Heather