Categories
Doctoring General Ablation General Cardiology

On PVCs, think anew but think slowly

Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) remain a common and vexing problem in cardiology. PVCs deserve attention because they often induce fear in both patient and doctor. In US healthcare, fear is bad. Fear sets the stage for over-treatment. The approach to the funny-looking beats has not changed much in the last two decades. That may be […]

Categories
Athletic heart General Cardiology General Medicine

Benign PVCs: A heart rhythm doctor’s approach.

Here is an edited email I received from an athletic colleague: John, Quick question…. A 50 year-old male healthy athlete has the new problem of occasional periods of premature beats. He (or she, it doesn’t matter) has visited the doctor and an ECG shows PVCs, or premature ventricular contractions. Otherwise the history, exam, ECG, ECHO […]