What causes premature ventricular contractions?

Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
Updated on September 11, 2024
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Ventricular premature beats are the most common type of premature beats clinically, and they mostly occur in healthy people, also known as benign premature beats. They are caused by unstable autonomic nerve function leading to arrhythmia and do not require treatment with anti-arrhythmic drugs. Treatment through regulating nerves and lifestyle can lead to improvement. They can also occur in organic heart diseases, such as coronary heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, pulmonary heart disease, and viral myocarditis. These organic heart diseases, due to long-term myocardial damage, exhibit ectopic rhythms and require treatment with effective anti-arrhythmic drugs alongside treatment of the primary disease (the use of such drugs should be under the guidance of a physician).

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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Can ventricular premature beats be cured?

Whether ventricular premature beats can be cured depends on the underlying disease causing it. In healthy populations, ventricular premature beats occur due to unstable autonomic nerve function or during the growth and development phase in young adults; these functional ventricular premature beats generally do not require medication. By regulating the autonomic nerves and engaging in appropriate aerobic exercise, these premature beats can be cured. However, frequent ventricular premature beats caused by organic heart disease need to be treated with anti-arrhythmic drugs while treating the primary disease; this can reduce ventricular premature beats and alleviate clinical symptoms, but generally cannot be cured. (Specific medication use should be carried out under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Zhang Yue Mei
Cardiology
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How to adjust for premature ventricular contractions?

Ventricular premature beat management should vary based on the cause. Frequent ventricular premature beats caused by organic heart disease can be harmful to the body, and under a doctor's guidance, effective antiarrhythmic drugs should be used for treatment. If the ventricular premature beats are due to autonomic dysfunction in healthy individuals, or caused by excessive fatigue or staying up late, this type of premature beat generally does not require the use of antiarrhythmic drugs for treatment. Instead, managing the autonomic nerves and engaging in regular exercise can enhance the normal contractile strength of the heart and adjust the autonomic nerves to correct these abnormal ventricular premature beats.

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Written by Li Hai Wen
Cardiology
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Principles of treatment for ventricular premature beats

The treatment of ventricular premature beats mainly includes the following aspects: First, palliative treatment. Palliative treatment refers to cases where the patient's ventricular premature beats do not occur frequently, and there are no clinical symptoms, and no organic heart disease is found through related cardiac echocardiography. For this type of ventricular premature beats, treatment is not necessary, and regular observation can be conducted, which we call palliative treatment. Second, medication treatment. When ventricular premature beats occur frequently, and the patient has obvious clinical symptoms, such as palpitations and chest tightness, treatment can be carried out under the guidance of a doctor with standardized medication. Third, surgical treatment. When premature beats occur frequently and severely affect the patient's quality of life, radiofrequency ablation treatment can be conducted, and this treatment potentially cures ventricular premature beats.

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Written by Li Hai Wen
Cardiology
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Is ventricular premature beat intercalary serious?

Whether ventricular premature beats are serious depends on the cause of the ventricular premature beats. From a medical perspective, physiological ventricular premature beats are generally not serious and do not greatly affect health or endanger life. Physiological ventricular premature beats are often related to emotional stress, staying up late, and poor lifestyle habits such as drinking strong tea or coffee. Pathological ventricular premature beats, on the other hand, are often more serious, such as those caused by cardiomyopathy. These ventricular premature beats can potentially trigger ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, seriously endangering the patient's life. Pathological ventricular premature beats require active interventional treatment to prevent the premature beats from worsening and causing unexpected events.

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Written by Liu Ying
Cardiology
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How many ventricular premature beats per day?

Ventricular premature beats can be caused by physiological reasons, diseases, ion disturbances, certain medications, and so on. If a healthy person without any diseases experiences ventricular premature beats, they should quit smoking, limit alcohol intake, ensure adequate rest, avoid staying up late, avoid excessive fatigue, and drink less or avoid strong tea, coffee, and other substances that stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. If ventricular premature beats are caused by other reasons, the specific cause should be determined by a specialist based on the medical condition and related examinations, and a reasonable treatment plan should be provided. (The use of medications should be conducted under the guidance of a doctor.)