scholarly journals Evaluation and Management of Premature Ventricular Complexes

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (17) ◽  
pp. 1404-1418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory M. Marcus
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Catheter Ablation ◽  
Medical Treatment ◽  
Ambulatory Monitoring ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽  
Premature Ventricular Complexes

Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) are extremely common, found in the majority of individuals undergoing long-term ambulatory monitoring. Increasing age, a taller height, a higher blood pressure, a history of heart disease, performance of less physical activity, and smoking each predict a greater PVC frequency. Although the fundamental causes of PVCs remain largely unknown, potential mechanisms for any given PVC include triggered activity, automaticity, and reentry. PVCs are commonly asymptomatic but can also result in palpitations, dyspnea, presyncope, and fatigue. The history, physical examination, and 12-lead ECG are each critical to the diagnosis and evaluation of a PVC. An echocardiogram is indicated in the presence of symptoms or particularly frequent PVCs, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is helpful when the evaluation suggests the presence of associated structural heart disease. Ambulatory monitoring is required to assess PVC frequency. The prognosis of those with PVCs is variable, with ongoing uncertainty regarding the most informative predictors of adverse outcomes. An increased PVC frequency may be a risk factor for heart failure and death, and the resolution of systolic dysfunction after successful catheter ablation of PVCs demonstrates that a causal relationship can be present. Patients with no or mild symptoms, a low PVC burden, and normal ventricular function may be best served with simple reassurance. Either medical treatment or catheter ablation are considered first-line therapies in most patients with PVCs associated with symptoms or a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, and patient preference plays a role in determining which to try first. If medical treatment is selected, either β-blockers or nondihydropyridine calcium channel blockers are reasonable drugs in patients with normal ventricular systolic function. Other antiarrhythmic drugs should be considered if those initial drugs fail and ablation has been declined, has been unsuccessful, or has been deemed inappropriate. Catheter ablation is the most efficacious approach to eradicate PVCs but may confer increased upfront risks. Original research remains necessary to identify individuals at risk for PVC-induced cardiomyopathy and to identify preventative and therapeutic approaches targeting the root causes of PVCs to maximize effectiveness while minimizing risk.

Outcomes of untreated frequent premature ventricular complexes with normal left ventricular function

Heart ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (18) ◽  
pp. 1408-1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea K Y Lee ◽  
Jason Andrade ◽  
Nathaniel M Hawkins ◽  
George Alexander ◽  
Matthew T Bennett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction ◽  
Systolic Dysfunction ◽  
Ambulatory Monitoring ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Suppressive Therapy ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽  
Premature Ventricular Complexes

ObjectiveThe natural history of frequent premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) in association with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is uncertain. The optimal management of this population is thus undefined. We studied the outcomes of untreated patients with frequent PVCs and preserved LVEF.MethodsThis cohort study prospectively evaluated consecutive patients from 2012 to 2017, with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic frequent idiopathic PVCs (≥5% PVCs in 24 hours; normal LVEF; no cause identified on comprehensive evaluation). No suppressive therapy (ablation or antiarrhythmic drugs) were used and patients were followed with serial ambulatory ECG monitoring and echocardiography. The primary arrhythmic outcome was reduction in PVC burden to <1% on serial ambulatory monitoring. The primary echocardiographic outcome was a reduction of LVEF to <50%.ResultsOne hundred patients met inclusion criteria (mean age 51.8 years, 57% female) with a median PVC burden of 18.4%. Reduction to <1% PVCs occurred in 44 of 100 patients (44.0%) at a median of 15.4 months (range 2.6 to 64.3). Recurrence was uncommon (4/44, 9.1%). Four patients (4.3%) with a persistently elevated PVC burden developed left ventricular dysfunction (LVEF <50%) during the follow-up period at a range of 53–71 months. The initial PVC burden did not predict subsequent resolution (HR 1.00(0.97, 1.03); p=0.86).ConclusionsA strategy of active surveillance is appropriate for the majority of patients with frequent idiopathic PVCs in association with preserved LVEF, owing to the low risk of developing left ventricular systolic dysfunction and the high rate of spontaneous resolution.

Assessing left ventricular systolic function: from ejection fraction to strain analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian P Halliday ◽  
Roxy Senior ◽  
Dudley J Pennell
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽  
Ejection Fraction ◽  
Valvular Heart Disease ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽  
Patients With Heart Failure

Abstract The measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a ubiquitous component of imaging studies used to evaluate patients with cardiac conditions and acts as an arbiter for many management decisions. This follows early trials investigating heart failure therapies which used a binary LVEF cut-off to select patients with the worst prognosis, who may gain the most benefit. Forty years on, the cardiac disease landscape has changed. Left ventricular ejection fraction is now a poor indicator of prognosis for many heart failure patients; specifically, for the half of patients with heart failure and truly preserved ejection fraction (HF-PEF). It is also recognized that LVEF may remain normal amongst patients with valvular heart disease who have significant myocardial dysfunction. This emphasizes the importance of the interaction between LVEF and left ventricular geometry. Guidelines based on LVEF may therefore miss a proportion of patients who would benefit from early intervention to prevent further myocardial decompensation and future adverse outcomes. The assessment of myocardial strain, or intrinsic deformation, holds promise to improve these issues. The measurement of global longitudinal strain (GLS) has consistently been shown to improve the risk stratification of patients with heart failure and identify patients with valvular heart disease who have myocardial decompensation despite preserved LVEF and an increased risk of adverse outcomes. To complete the integration of GLS into routine clinical practice, further studies are required to confirm that such approaches improve therapy selection and accordingly, the outcome for patients.

Vergleich von Belastungs- EKG und Radionuklid- Ventrikulographie bezüglich des Nachweises einer Myokardischämie bei isolierten Stenosen des Ramus interventricularis anterior

1988 ◽  
Vol 27 (02) ◽  
pp. 57-62
Author(s):  
R. Standke ◽  
R. P. Baum ◽  
S. Tezak ◽  
D. Mildenberger ◽  
F. D. Maul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽  
Myocardial Ischemia ◽  
Ejection Fraction ◽  
Anterior Wall ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Global Ejection Fraction ◽  
Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽  
Exercise Ecg

21 patients with LAD-stenoses of at least 70% and 21 patients with LAD- stenoses and additional intramural anterior wall infarctions were studied. 20 patients without heart disease or after successful transluminal coronary angioplasty and 18 patients with intramural anterior wall infarction after successful transluminal dilatation of the LAD (remaining stenosis maximal 30%) served as controls. The normal range of global and regional left ventricular ejection fraction response to exercise was defined based on the data of 25 further patients without relevant coronary heart disease. Thus, a decrease in global ejection fraction and regional wall motion abnormalities were judged pathological. All patients were comparable with respect to age, ejection fraction at rest and work load. Myocardial ischemia could be detected by the exercise ECG in 81 % of all patients without infarction and in 71 % of patients with infarction. The corresponding values for global left ventricular ejection fraction were 76% and 81 %, respectively, and for regional ejection fraction 95% in both groups. No false-positive exercise ECGs were observed in the healthy controls and 2 (11 %) in the corresponding group with intramural infarction. The global ejection fraction was pathological in 1 (5%) healthy subject without infarction and in 3 (17%) corresponding patients with infarction. Sectorial analysis revealed 5 and 22%, respectively. Our findings suggest that the exercise ECG has a limited sensitivity to detect myocardial ischemia in patients with isolated LAD-stenoses and intramural myocardial infarction. Radionuclide ventriculography yields pathological values more often; however, false-positive results also occur more frequently.

scholarly journals Major Left Bundle Branch Block and Coronary Heart Disease—Are There Any Differences between the Sexes?

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2284
Author(s):  
Diana Gurzău ◽  
Alexandra Dădârlat-Pop ◽  
Bogdan Caloian ◽  
Gabriel Cismaru ◽  
Horaţiu Comşa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Ischemic Heart Disease ◽  
Left Bundle Branch Block ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Ischemic Heart ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Bundle Branch Block ◽  
Microvascular Angina ◽  
Ventricular Ejection Fraction

Left bundle branch block is not a benign pathology, and its presence requires the identification of a pathological substrate, such as ischemic heart disease. Left bundle branch block appears to be more commonly associated with normal coronary arteries, especially in women. The objectives of our study were to describe the particularities of left bundle branch block in women compared to men with ischemic heart disease. Result: We included seventy patients with left bundle branch block and ischemic heart disease, with a mean age of 67.01 ± 8.89 years. There were no differences in the profile of risk factors, except for smoking and uric acid. The ventricular depolarization (QRS) duration was longer in men than women (136.86 ± 8.32 vs. 132.57 ± 9.19 msec; p = 0.018) and also men were observed to have larger left ventricular diameters. Left bundle branch block duration was directly associated with ventricular diameters and indirectly associated with left ventricular ejection fraction value, especially in women (R = −0.52, p = 0.0012 vs. R = −0.50, p = 0.002). In angiography, 80% of women had normal epicardial arteries compared with 65.7% of men; all these patients presented with microvascular dysfunction. Conclusion: The differences between the sexes were not so obvious in terms of the presence of risk factors; instead, there were differences in electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, and angiographic aspects. Left bundle branch block appears to be a marker of microvascular angina and systolic dysfunction, especially in women.

Extracting and analyzing ejection fraction values from electronic echocardiography reports in a large health maintenance organization

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fagen Xie ◽  
Chengyi Zheng ◽  
Albert Yuh-Jer Shen ◽  
Wansu Chen
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Ejection Fraction ◽  
Health Maintenance Organization ◽  
Prognostic Indicator ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽  
Health Maintenance ◽  
Systolic Left Ventricular Function

The left ventricular ejection fraction value is an important prognostic indicator of cardiovascular outcomes including morbidity and mortality and is often used clinically to indicate severity of heart disease. However, it is usually reported in free-text echocardiography reports. We developed and validated a computerized algorithm to extract ejection fraction values from echocardiography reports and applied the algorithm to a large volume of unstructured echocardiography reports between 1995 and 2011 in a large health maintenance organization. A total of 621,856 echocardiography reports with a description of ejection fraction values or systolic functions were identified, of which 70 percent contained numeric ejection fraction values and the rest (30%) were text descriptions explicitly indicating the systolic left ventricular function. The 12.1 percent (16.0% for male and 8.4% for female) of these extracted ejection fraction values are <45 percent. Validation conducted based on a random sample of 200 reports yielded 95.0 percent sensitivity and 96.9 percent positive predictive value.

The Assessment of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction in Patients with Ischaemic Heart Disease by Contrast Ventriculography and Nuclear Angiography

1977 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Muir ◽  
W. J. Hannan ◽  
H. M. Brash ◽  
V. Baldwa ◽  
H. C. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽  
Ejection Fraction ◽  
Ischaemic Heart Disease ◽  
Ventricular Volume ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽  
Contrast Ventriculography

1. In 18 patients with ischaemic heart disease left ventricular ejection fraction, measured by two different nuclear angiographic methods, has been compared with ejection fraction measured by single-plane contrast angiography. 2. The first nuclear angiographic technique involves detection of variation in the radioactivity from the left ventricle during the initial passage of a bolus of 99Tcm-labelled human serum albumin injected intravenously; the second is our own modification of a ‘gated’ method, which accumulates the radioactivity detected during the continuing recirculation of the plasma bound radioisotope, so presenting an ‘averaged’ ventricular volume curve. 3. Ejection fraction, measured by the ‘bolus’ method, is lower than that measured either by contrast ventriculography or by the ‘gated’ method. This may be due to a damping effect. 4. Ejection fraction measured by the ‘gated’ method is well correlated with that measured by contrast ventriculography (r = 0·89). 5. Our modification of the ‘gated’ method, which presents the changes in ventricular volume throughout the cardiac cycle, without needing computer facilities, is a useful non-invasive means for assessment of left ventricular function.

Ventricular tachycardia ablation in nonischemic cardiomyopathy

EP Europace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Nascimento Matos ◽  
D Cavaco ◽  
P Carmo ◽  
MS Carvalho ◽  
G Rodrigues ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ventricular Tachycardia ◽  
Catheter Ablation ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy ◽  
Epicardial Ablation ◽  
Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽  
Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. INTRODUCTION Catheter ablation outcomes for drug-resistant ventricular tachycardia (VT) in nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) are suboptimal when compared to ischemic cardiomyopathy. We aimed to analyse the long-term efficacy and safety of percutaneous catheter ablation in this subset of patients. METHODS Single-center observational retrospective registry including consecutive NICM patients who underwent catheter ablation for drug-resistant VT during a 10-year period. The efficacy endpoint was defined as VT-free survival after catheter ablation, while safety outcomes were defined by 30-days mortality and procedure-related complications. Independent predictors of VT recurrence were assessed by Cox regression. RESULTS In a population of 68 patients, most were male (85%), mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 34 ± 12%, and mean age was 58 ± 15 years. All patients had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. Twenty-six (38%) patients underwent epicardial ablation (table 1). Over a median follow-up of 3 years (IQR 1-8), 41% (n = 31) patients had VT recurrence and 28% died (n = 19). Multivariate survival analysis identified LVEF (HR= 0.98; 95%CI 0.92-0.99, p = 0.046) and VT storm at presentation (HR = 2.38; 95%CI 1.04-5.46, p = 0.041) as independent predictors of VT recurrence. The yearly rates of VT recurrence and overall mortality were 21%/year and 10%/year, respectively. No patients died at 30-days post-procedure, and mean hospital length of stay was 5 ± 6 days. The complication rate was 7% (n = 5, table 1), mostly in patients undergoing epicardial ablation (4 vs 1 in endocardial ablation, P = 0.046). CONCLUSION LVEF and VT storm at presentation were independent predictors of VT recurrence in NICM patients after catheter ablation. While clinical outcomes can be improved with further technical and scientific development, a tailored endocardial/epicardial approach was safe, with low overall number of complications and no 30-days mortality. Abstract Figure.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document