premature ventricular contractions

Premature ventricular contraction, also known as ventricular premature beat, abbreviated as ventricular premature beat, refers to the premature excitation originating from a certain pacemaker site in the ventricle before the sinus impulse arrives, causing ventricular depolarization. It is one of the most common arrhythmias. It arises prematurely from ectopic pacemakers below the bifurcation of the bundle of His and may occur singly or in pairs. Premature ventricular contraction is the most common ventricular arrhythmia and can trigger ventricular tachycardia and ventricular flutter or fibrillation. This arrhythmia can occur in patients with organic heart disease or in normal individuals at any age. Among them, male sex and increasing age are associated with increased prevalence. According to the frequency of premature ventricular contractions, they can be classified as occasional premature ventricular contractions and frequent premature ventricular contractions. The clinical manifestations of premature ventricular contractions depend on both the premature beats and the underlying disease. Some occasional premature ventricular contractions cause no obvious discomfort or only symptoms of the underlying disease. Frequent premature ventricular contractions are mostly accompanied by palpitations, cardiac pauses, and throat pulling discomfort.