What is Ventricular Premature Beat?
Ventricular Premature Beat
As can be understood from the name “ventricular premature beat”, it is the premature contraction event that comes from the ventricles of the heart called “ventricular”. It is called “premature” because it precedes the normally expected beat of the heart. Therefore, this type of rhythm disorders cause irregular heart rhythm and is one of the most common rhythm disorders that cause the development of irregular heart rhythm.
Ventricular premature beats (VEV) are also called ventricular premature beats (VPA or VPS) and sometimes ventricular extra systole (VES). Therefore, abbreviations such as VES, VEV, VPA or VPS are used among physicians. All point to the same rhythm disturbance.
How Does a Ventricular Premature Beat Cause a Complain?
Some patients do not notice VESs at all. In patients without complaints of arrhythmias, VESs can be detected during cardiac examination for other reasons. Therefore, VESs cannot always lead to complaints. Common symptoms of VESs include:
- Malfunction in the heart
- Stop in the heart
- Irregularity in heart rhythm
- Globus hystericus in the throat
- Sudden inability to breathe
- Feeling like someone is punching the chest
- Feeling of being caught in turbulence on the plane.
In fact, VES can be seen 4-5 times a day in every person. This is completely normal and no treatment is needed. What are important here is how often the person experiences VES during 24 hours and what kind of feature they have. VESs can come in singles. Sometimes they can be 3-4 consecutively. Both the numerical frequency of VES and the features such as sequential occurrence are closely related to the complaint of VES in the person and the treatment approach to be applied to the person.
How Ventricular Premature Beats Occur?
VESs can originate from both ventricles of the heart. While the normal rhythmic electrical activity of the heart continues, the rhythm of the heart beats with an extra stimulus from the ventricles. Then the rhythm of the heart returns to normal. Subsequently, VES can occur again, and heart failure can occur again. Although this situation changes from patient to patient during the day, it can repeat tens of thousands of times. Or it can be 3-5 times. In addition, there is not the same intensity of VES every day. Sometimes patients do not feel at all, and sometimes they feel intense VES that recurs throughout the day. It is not known exactly what triggered or caused this variability. Daily stresses are thought to be the cause.
Why VESs Cause?
The causes of VESs are not fully known. Most VESs occur in completely healthy hearts, that is, without any structural heart disease in the heart. These are called “idiopathic VES” meaning VES of unknown cause. In such cases, there is no need to worry. Because their life-threatening risk is negligible; in addition, some VESs can occur secondary to other problems in the heart. Such situations should be considered a little more in order to prevent the existing problems in the heart from getting worse.
What are the risk factors revealing VESs?
In some cases, VESs can occur more frequently. These are:
- People who have had heart attacks
- Those with heart failure, cardiomyopathy
- People with heart valve disease
- Diabetes (Diabetes Mellitus)
- Blood pressure disease (Hypertension)
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Intense smoking and caffeine consumption
- Drug use
- Intense stress and anxious life
How Are VESs Treated? (Ankara Ventricular Premature Beat Treatment)
First of all, not every VES requires treatment. It is useful to know this. Because there are many patients who have very few VES but go from doctor to doctor, as I said before, infrequent VESs are also not treated. However, patients with severe VES or concomitant heart disease require treatment.
Which type of treatment will be given to which patient is decided after detailed examination. A 24-hour ECG-Holter device is connected to each patient with VES, and it is revealed how often VES comes, what additional features it has, and whether VESs are consecutive. In addition, a heart ultrasound, which we call Echocardiography, is taken for each patient and it is checked whether there are other accompanying heart diseases. At the end of these results, the treatment plan is revealed. Treatment of VESs can be grouped into 3 main groups: lifestyle changes, drug treatment, and ablation.
Lifestyle changes include measures such as starting sports, avoiding harmful factors such as alcohol and tobacco, consuming less caffeine and losing weight if overweight.
Drug treatment: it is the initiation of a number of rhythm-regulating drugs and the long-term use of them regularly. However, this should be known. Rhythm-regulating drugs also have some side effects. For this reason, drugs that we call “beta-blockers” or “isoptin”, “diltisem”, which have relatively few side effects, are used most frequently. In cases where we have to give drugs that are more effective than these, ablation treatment should be considered first, if possible.
Is It Possible to Get Rid of VESs with Ablation Treatment?
Ablation treatment is a very effective treatment approach in ventricular premature beats as in other arrhythmias. With or without structural heart disease, if VES occurs at a frequency of 5000 beats or more in 24 hours, ablation treatment should be considered first. Because with ablation, it is possible to get rid of VES completely for life, on the other hand, the patient will be freed from the necessity of using drugs that can have serious side effects for life. Therefore, if the patient’s VES is sufficiently frequent, ablation treatment should be prioritized.
If you want to get more detailed information about drug treatment, ablation treatment and prices of ventricular premature beats, you can call clinic of Prof. Basri Amasyalı in Ankara and make an appointment.
