AboutDavid Richardson Expertise Adult heart function and disease. Not very good about children lesss than 12. Hypertension is o.k. Heart rhythm a special interest.
Experience Certified in cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Was chairman of division of cardiology at the Medical College of Virginia. Am now mostly retired.
Organizations Fellow of American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology and member of American Physiological Society..
Publications Circulation, American Heart Journal, Hypertension.
Education/Credentials M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Residency training at Yale Uhniversity School of Medicine and Medical College of Virginia.
Awards and Honors Gold Heartt Award from American Heart Association in 1995.
Question I am a 23 m who gets PVCs during exercise. During exercise (treadmill walking, sometimes with an incline), I experience PVCs,a lot, sometimes 16 in a minute. I also experience PVCs after exercise. During exercise my heart rate is in the 170s-180s.
What is the significance of PVCs during and after exercise--at a heart rate of 170-180? I've had a resting echo, which was normal.
Thank you very much
Answer Dear Jannik,
PVCs during exercise have slight special significance. Here's a quote:"Exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias (EIVAs): Some studies show that patients with EIVA during exercise testing are at higher risk for bad outcomes, such as death, than are patients without EIVA. However, not all studies have shown this relationship between EIVA and bad outcomes." PVC's that looked like right bundle branch block had 5 deaths in two years compared with 2 deaths in two years in those with no PVC's during exercise or with PVC's that looked like left bundle branch block. This was during treadmill testing, so the patients were suspected of having coronary heart disease, and were at much greater risk of death than are young healthy people like you. I doubt that your exercise-induced PVC's have any bad significance.
Please write back if this note doesn't answer all your questions.
