Numerous songs and poems have been made about the heart skipping a beat due to falling in love, and how the world is a much more wonderful place when it happens. In reality, when your heart skips a beat — literally — you have a condition called premature ventricular contraction or PVC for short.
WORDS LIM TECK CHOON
 FEATURED EXPERTDR HOW ANN KEE Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist Sunway Medical Centre |
PVC IS ACTUALLY COMMON
Dr How Ann Kee shares that premature ventricular contraction (PVC) can happen to anyone at any age, even when their heart is healthy and normal.
- PVC is an extra electrical impulse arising from the heart’s lower chamber or ventricle.
- This electrical impulse will interfere with your regular normal heart beats, and this interference manifests as fluttering or abnormally strong heart beats.
PVC IS A SERIOUS CONCERN WHEN IT OCCURS FREQUENTLY
Most of the time, PVCs occur one at a time and can be bothersome to some people, but they are not problematic to one’s health.
It becomes a serious concern, however, when PVCs happen frequently. People with frequent PVCs should consult a doctor for a proper diagnosis and to explore treatment options.
Issues That Can Make PVC Worse
- Drinking too much caffeine
- Excess consumption of alcohol and tobacco
- Drug use
- Electrolyte imbalances in your body
- Lack of sleep
PVC CAN BE TREATED VIA MEDICATIONS OR CATHETER ABLATION
Dr How tells us that the choice of treatment will depend on the frequency of the PVCs as well as whether other heart conditions are present.
Medications
- A type of medications called antiarrhythmics may be prescribed to reduce irregular heart rhythms.
- Should the person also have high blood pressure, beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers may also be prescribed to lower the blood pressure.
Catheter Ablation
- Catheter ablation is a minimally invasive option for those that do not respond positively to medications.
- A thin tube will be inserted into a blood vessel leading to the heart, to destroy abnormal heart tissues that are causing the irregular heartbeats.
| This article is part of our series on the health issues affecting the heart and blood pressure. |
