After a ablation in-2016 I’ve been AFib free Recently my ECGs are showing rhythm with occasional premature ventricular contractions (PVCs).
This is fairly frequent I’m also showing high BP during episodes my BP is normally pretty low 100/70 ish
Should I be concerned?
same here have been told by EP harmless
Ectopic beats are normal for most people regardless of AF or no and considered benign.
It seems something has disturbed your body. Either physically or mentally. Try looking to yourself if anything has changed. Inside or outside.
Ectopics are caused by rogue clusters of irritable cells. People don’t “think” their way to ectopics.
I get these too, once in awhile. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water, try taking magnesium supplement and if you use artificial sweetners stop and cut back on sugary foods. This has helped me
Depends how many in a row. I seem to remember more than three is the point at which to be concerned.
Not true
It depends. Have you had a 24h ECG and I’d so, do you know your ectopic burden? You say “occasional” so I’m going to assume that’s no more than a few hundred a day, in which case there’s probably nothing to worry about.
Despite many people describing ectopics as “benign” and “harmless”, I believe that a moderate/high ectopic burden can be an indication that there is something not quite right and that it can be a precursor to AF developing in the future. I know there are people with AF who are not troubled by ectopics, and people with many ectopics who never develop AF, and you’re going to hear a lot of opinions and not necessarily accurate ones either. In my personal experience, increasingly frequent ectopics were the precursor to developing AF, so for me they are definitely related. I consider my ectopics as a sort of barometer as to my AF risk.
Agreed, but we’re not talking about the same thing. Three or more consecutive ventricular ectopics are called Non Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia which could become dangerous. A high burden of PVCs would need investigating but don’t necessarily point to a dangerous condition.
Ventricular tachycardia is a serious condition.
I get infrequent AF but frequent ectopic beats (PVCs and PACs). Sometimes these are in quite sustained runs and feel pretty weird).
I’ve read that BP would be hard to measure during AF and only manual devices are considered suitable using a stethoscope and even then are inaccurate. It would also likely be high as there’s a lot of anxiety and adrenaline involved.
Steve
Does AFib always present with an irregular ventricular rhythm?
Bp readings ?
Ransom missed heart beat
