Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVC)
Another form of abnormal rhythms originating from the ventricles (bottom chambers of the heart) occur in the form of PVC (premature ventricular contractions). PVC are extra heart beats caused by a firing of electrical impulse that originates a premature heart contraction. This condition can be observed in patients with pre-existing heart disease (scar tissue or heart failure), but often also may occur in patient with no structural abnormalities in the heart. The PVC are a result of an abnormal impulse generation from abnormal cells in the ventricle.
They may be infrequent and of no serious consequences, and often found as an incidental finding during a physical exam or electrocardiogram recording obtain for other reason. Some patients can have such a frequent occurrence of the PVC that can leas to disabling symptoms such as:
- Feeling of “skipping beats”
- Intolerance to exercise
- Palpitations
- Fluid retention and other heart failure symptoms.
In those patient with symptoms a catheter ablation procedure intended to localize the site of abnormal cell firing in the ventricles to precisely deliver radiofrequency energy through a catheter (ablation) to eliminate the abnormal cells causing the PVC. Most procedures are successful in controlling the PVC and patient experience significant symptoms relief and get back their active life.
New technology available allows our team of experts in arrhythmia treatment to safely perform hundreds of PVC ablation procedures a year with very low complication rates and without the use of ionizing radiation, guided by GPS-like computer systems and intracardiac ultrasound.
