Ventricular ectopyrefers to irregular heartbeats brought on by one of the heart’s two lowerchambers, called ventricles.
In most cases, ventricular ectopy is not serious.
This article discusses what ventricular ectopy is, its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
The Good Brigade / Getty Images
The Good Brigade / Getty Images
What Is Ventricular Ectopy?
To understand ventricular ectopy, it’s helpful to consider theheart’s anatomy.
The heart has four chambers.
The two upper chambers are called the atria.
The two bottom chambers are each called ventricles.
When anabnormal heartbeatstarts in one of those two lower chambers, it’s called ventricular ectopy.
In most cases, there is no underlying disease or cause.
Ventricular ectopy can affect anyone at any age.
However, it is less common in children than adults unless they are born withcongenital heart disease.
Other names for ventricular ectopy are premature ventricular contraction (PVC) and ventricular premature beats.
What Causes Ventricular Ectopy?
Symptoms of Ventricular Ectopy
Sometimes, ventricular ectopy has no symptoms at all.
When it does have symptoms, they can include:
Is Ectopic Heartbeat Serious?
Ectopic heartbeat and ventricular ectopy are not usually serious, especially if abnormal heartbeats only occur occasionally.
If nothing unusual is found with an ECG, your healthcare provider may not take any other tests.
Instead, your healthcare provider may recommend lifestyle changes to reduce the chance of experiencing ventricular ectopy.
These could include:
Sometimes, you may need medical treatments for ventricular ectopy.
This would include using prescription medications likebeta-blockersorcalcium channel blockersto better control your heart rate.
It is usually not serious and shouldn’t be a cause for concern.
Symptoms may include heart palpitations or the feeling that your heart is skipping a beat.
However, some people may feel no symptoms.
Treatment includes medications, lifestyle changes, and possibly, a catheter ablation procedure.
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