Ectopic heartbeats (pvcs and pacs) rvot

[Dpc2019]

Has anyone got ectopics (pvcs and pacs) I get like 8000 a day since covid. That's on last holter which few months ago. They thinking about ablation but not sure I want that.

[JohnEagel]

Oi mate,

I feel you. PAC and PVC, old acquaintents.

Started out about 7 years ago. In 2016 they turned into PAfib with about 6 attack's per year.

Having been just over 50 by then, my EP advised to opt for an ablation.

Said, done. Top EP, flew in from LA and did a great job.

Took me 1 year to settle down but then Afib was history.

That said, slowly, slowly, ectopics started to creep up on me.

They were even more scary than Afib was. Totally stressed me out. It took me years to learn to live with them.

Now I have them sometimes all day ( like you, 5000-10000),

Sometimes just a few and sometimes they are gone completely until they return again.

Doc says my cervical spinal stenosis is partially responsible but I am just not ready yet to get under the knife.

When I lay down on my left side, they come on more frequent. And of course some overweight beyond the ideal BMI level does the rest.

Running up stairs is also a no go, HR goes up and ectopics kick in.

But most importantly I have learned to calm down when I feel they could flair up. Mostly helps.

Taking metoprolol, Pradaxa and diovan.

Next big goal is to reduce weight significantly.

Keep my fingers crossed for you mate.

Here in this forum you will find a bunch of awesome people, always ready to support and help. You are not allone in it.

Cheers

J.

[BobD Volunteer]

Many people find that slow diaphragmic breathing down to less than 6 breaths per minute often stops ectopics completely. Not too many EPs will ablate purely for ectopics.

[Niki_]

The slow breathing like Bob said does help some .. I had 13,000 on my holter monitor a day .. I changed my eating to 80% fruits and vegetables.. removed most carbs from my diet .. started taking Taurine, magnesium glycinate and l-arginine and added in daily cardio .. and on my newest holter I was down to 3,000 so I reduced them by 10 thousand a day .. I don’t take any prescribed meds.

[KMRobbo]

Yes I get ectopics .sometimes at that rate.

[Ppiman]

I've had them since I was in my 20s, maybe before. When I was your age, I had a treadmill test which showed a lot were occurring but nothing like what you have. That must be hard work for you. However, I well remember the wonderful cardiologist at the time telling me he had thousands a day and fully expected to live a normal healthy life!

Steve

[Best2]

Good morning Dpc2019 I have 10000 ectopic beats a day and have been on bisoprolol 2.5 mg since august! Got another 24 ecg coming up next week and then appointment with ep. 26 th November who is recommending an ablation as over time lots of ectopic s can cause cardiomyopathy! Don’t know what to do and really hoping bisoprolol are working well ! Good luck with your decision keep us posted please

[Physalis]

I think that the difference between ectopics and AFib is that ectopics occur when there is just one rogue signal. Afib is when there are more rogue signals and they all get mixed up.

[listerines]

Hello Dpc2019- certainly if you are dealing with hours and hours of intense ectopics then this can certainly be challenging mentally and physically (and the fluttery marbles in your heart/ neck probably downright disconcerting) . Though as others have mentioned, ectopics (pacs and pvcs) , are generally thought of as being benign by medical professionals. Though this is not necessarily the case if the ectopics are continuously severe and in the 1000s to 10000s a day for weeks/ months on end.

Some people have good success with reducing ectopics with mild to moderate exercise, breathing exercises, magnesium and potassium supplements, acupuncture and stretching/ yoga. If severe, health professionals can prescribe betablockers and antiarrhythmics and possibly even ablation in very challenging cases (which sounds like yours might be).

From what I have heard/ read can be challenging for EPs to map the ectopic misfires and especially if the missed beats come and go on an irregular basis. Not sure if you would want to look at meds/ supplements as option before ablation - solid discussion with your health care team would be wise.

I have had periods of them nearly every day for 18 months now even though my afib has been quite well behaved over that time period (2 ablations and ectopics worse poat ablation) Sometimes i will have 10s to 100s a day which is disconcerting but liveable - at their peak was over 10000 a day and that was far more challenging as this felt worse than an afib episode.

For the most part though ectopics can wax and wane on their own and rarely lead to serious complications (no matter how annoying/ disconcerting thay may initially be). Keep safe

[HuntsvilleAL in reply to listerines]

Having these etopics for several years, I have tried everything I can find on conservative treatments. Supplements, red light therapy, acupuncture, yoga, chelation therapy, etc. They started after an ablation 2 + years ago and even on flecainide and diltiazem they are still frequent - which I am on a pretty hefty dose. Recent research determined that these may not be so benign for some people. Can lead to cardiomyopathy and also dementia ( recent Mayo Clinic study) Some people can ignore them, but if you are light headed, get dizzy or short of breath, you should look into your options. Hopefully this medication will work. As my Doc said this is a trial and error process with drugs. Everyone is different. For me they are worse then the AFIB. I am scheduled for another EP study - the technology is improving all the time and the EP I am seeing is optimistic he can find where they are coming from. All the best. Do not give up!!

[listerines in reply to HuntsvilleAL]

Hello HuntsvilleAL, thanks for taking the time to reply and sharing the info above - will look into the Mayo Clinic article as I have always thought that ectopics (pacs and pvcs) could have the potential of leading to more negative outcomes on the heart/ other systems, especially when runs of ectopics are daily and number in the 10000+ per day.I do not get too light headed or dizzy when having them, but they cam make me short of breath, sweaty, clammy and uncomfortable physically and mentally when having hard episodes. Have not been able to find a treatment that gets them fully under control all the time as they wax and wane for reasons that are beyond me (not linked to anxiety that i can see). Flecainde has helped but not perfect. Wishing you heart stability. Cheers

[HuntsvilleAL in reply to listerines]

Here is the link to one recent article:

DOI:doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.20...

I also read a recent article that anything over 1000 + a day of Etopics should be looked into.

[listerines in reply to HuntsvilleAL]

Thanks for this - read through the research outcomes a couple of times. Not going to lie, it is extremely disconcerting that all of the health professionals I have spoke to about my PACs consistently say to me that there is nothing to worry about and that they are benign. After reading this and a few other articles the evidence seems to be mounting that frequent PACs are associated with greater mortality risk, dementia, heart failure and cardiomyopathy. I can appreciate that a few PACS here or there are unlikely cause for concerns, but that individuals with more serious presentations need to be more actively followed and provided with treatment/ support options. Here is hoping our PACs remain defined as non-frequent and that more research attention is paid to possible cause/ treatment. Keep safe

[HuntsvilleAL in reply to listerines]

There are several recent articles: here is another to reviewPublished:February 25, 2021DOI:doi.org/10.1016/j.hroo.2021...

[HuntsvilleAL in reply to listerines]

One last one - Farzam K, Richards JR. Premature Ventricular Contraction. [Updated 2021 Aug 12]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK5...

Knowledge is power

[Bikica1234 in reply to listerines]

hey

I see you were active here two years ago. I'm contacting you because I have the same problem as you. I have PVCs (SVES and VES). I'm currently on Bisoprolol 2.5 mg a day. I've tried Propafenone, Flecanid, it didn't help, I don't know what to work. These PVCs drive me crazy because I get suffocation from them and they don't bother me much. Have you done anything in the meantime. How do you feel?

[HuntsvilleAL]

I am scheduled for an EP Study on Nov 22. I will be happy with any reduction in frequency and intensity. My Doctor told me that the drug route is trial and error until they find one that works to control. However, it is not uncommon that drug therapy can wane over time and become less effective. I am almost at the max of what I am taking. Side effects are always an issue. We are really between the rock and the hard place on treatment options for any arrhythmia problems . Keeping informed, doing research and finding the right MD support is important. Do not give up. Science is getting better everyday.