PVC Frequency

[jenny35115]

how many pvc's a day is considered alarming?

[curmudgen]

No matter how many PVC's we have they are worrisome and as you know  can vary greatly from person to person.  From what I have read and been told to me by my cardiologist as long as your heart is normal benign PVC's aren't life threatening.  As mentioned and I agree the episodic PVC's are most frustrating since they come and go for no apparent reason.  Most of us are not even candidates for ablation therapy since they aren't severe enough to rise to the level of risk/benefit.  For me knowing I do not have any coronary heart disease is reassuring but during an episode not very comforting. For the moment try adjusting your medication -  sometimes a slight up/down in dosage can make a difference.  Good luck

[Mom2four85]

I've had some type of arrhythmia since age 9.  I was in constant bigeminy from April 2007 until 2009(age 42)...I had 50,000 pvc's day in and out, who knows if I had more - I only had 1 24 hr holter and 1 holter in the ER due to a side effect of Toprol where dr's were more intrigued than alarmed that I had so many =)

My new cardiologist said he's been treating a patient with 80,000 pvc's daily for years just with meds because she doesn't have any symptoms and he didn't feel hers originated in a dangerous spot.  Unfortunately, I was symptomatic and meds & ablation haven't worked yet. Exertion and exercise make mine worse but I have LV dysfunction and non ischemic cardiomyopathy, and major ANS issues.

Dr's typically treat between 6,000 - 8,000 pvc's with meds, and they look at anything over 15% of a 24 hr hour total for ablation, BUT it depends on the patient and symptoms.  

Check the expert forum here; this is probably one of the most common questions and I've linked their answer often but can't find the link this early :P

[erijon]

I've had these miserable things my entire life. I've mentioned this before, but I can remember having these as a very young child, learning that if I laid still and in the right position I could feel my heart skip.

Most of the time I can't feel them except when I'm taking my blood pressure or laying on my side. Many of mine are transitional PVC's which occur when standing up or getting up from a chair, they are the most uncomfortable ones for me and feel like a flutter. Mine always go away when I exercise, especially when I get my heart rate over 130 - 140 BPM. Mine can be here everyday for several months and then go away for a year, you never know. My triggers are stress, which I am under now as I'm between jobs and too little sleep which I have now from being between jobs :)

I have just learned to live with them. I've been checked out and told they were harmless so I just get over them when they happen. Occasionally if I'm in bigeminy I get a little more concerned, but not too often. If I get too annoyed I hop on the recumbent bike and run my heart rate up to make them go away.

[Mom2four85]

I found the link =)  took my brain awhile to wake up :P

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/268842/QAs-about-arrhythmias

all of these deal with arrhythmia's that doctors here at MH have answered; I update my journal as the doctor's answer questions =)

[ed34]

I find that incredible, 2-4k in a day. I had an these for a period of about 3 weeks, and just 10-20 a day was very uncomfortable. Each time you feel one, do you get a kind of a strange 'buzz' go through your body? Mine felt a little like a mild adrenaline rush. Have you simply learned to live with them? or do you tend to automatically ignore them now? I find it amazing how you can put up with them.

[cindy707]

And Jenny put it into perspective...the heart beats over 100,000 times in a 24 hour period on an average.  Jon gave you great advice on his post back to you......

[erijon]

I've heard of people have 20,000 in a day. I know that myself, it's not uncommon for me to have 2,000 - 4,000 in a day. Normally doctors will treat when they become 15% of your total heart beats in a day or if they are becoming symptomatic enough to cause a loss in the quality of life. Most docs resist treatment as many drugs to relieve PVC'scan cause rhythm issues as well. Bet blockers seem to work by slowing down your heart rate, which may not make them go away, but just become less frequent.

Hope this helps,

Jon