PAC's/PVC's Per Day

[hope4anxiety]

How many PAC's/PVC's do you get a day?

[Milkywaygalaxy]

Sometimes I get several every minute, sometimes not, they come and go. I've been having pvc's and pac's for over 30 years. Some days are better than others but I also take a beta blocker (atenolol) which is a wonderful medication. Sure it lowers my blood pressure and makes me more tired but it's a greta trade off for not having the skipped heart beats.
I can feel my skipped beats so well and I hate it. I stay away from caffeine, chocolate, smoking or anything else I hear about. I feel better when I limit my use on any chemicals and I try to use natural chemical free things to put on my body or around the house.
Fresh air helps too. I am having another bout of skipped heart beats and go back to the cardiologist to see if she will up my atenolol. I got all the way up to 100 mg at one point, and got back down to 25 mg. But looks like I need that extra help again so will probably have it increased.
I've been on the atenolol for 30 years. My cardiologist never told me my skipped beats would lead to cardiomyopathy. Strange...

[Mom2four85]

what my doctors told me was they worry in patients with very frequent pvc's; over approx >20%  there is a school of thought that PVCs can cause deterioration of the left ventricular function analogous to tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (european journal of heart failure - http://eurjhf.oxfordjournals.org/content/8/8/869.full) which can be a reversible cause of dilated cardiomyopathy.

This is consistent with what I've read, however, new research (March 2010) says it's more like >4,000 pvc's.  I question this new research; why then aren't more patients being dx with CM if it's true?  we know alot of us here have >4,000 pvc's daily. (http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/761148-followup#showall - Prognosis) It also says frequent PVCs may be associated with increased risk of stroke in patients who do not have hypertension and diabetes.

here's some links I used to have in my journal about the research but I can't get the ones from Medscape to work for some reason but the others do.(http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/284969/Premature-ventricular-contractions-or-PVCs?personal_page_id=861727)

I know for me I had no structural damage when they did my Echo in July 2009, yet in August 2009 after my ablation I had CM; (check My Personal Heart Page in my journal) so it leaves me with so many questions that will probably never be answered.

Personally, I don't think enough research is done and what I've read is aging seems to play a part and why I think they need to do research on a more broad spectrum since so many of us suffer with these.

I think this is just another reason to keep our hearts healthy and strong with good lifestyle and exercise...easier said than done and my main worry since my surgery and being on so many restrictions.

[SassyLassie]

Ugh, my spell checked spelled nuisance "musician" instead. LOL. Geesh.

[SassyLassie]

Well, normally maybe three to five at the most, but believe me, those 3 to 5 scare me so badly I won't go out of the house if I feel even one. I know, all you dear, brave folks have so many more and carry on with living, I feel like a pansy, but, I can't help it, I am scared for even one tiny "blip". I hate that, I really do. Oh, one time when I wore a 24 holter monitor, it said 11 for the entire time, I was having a bad day that day, so, I am not surprised.

Jondsam, regarding PVC's being a killer, that is not exactly true, they can be dangerous if your heart is not structurally sound or you have had a heart attack, but, in  a healthy heart, they are just a frightening musicians. Even up to hundreds a day won't hurt, I guess it would take many years to show any damage. If you do an archive search here, you will see where others have said the same thing. That horrible big "thump" is just the heart pushing extra blood after its compensatory pause.

[jondsam]

Usually in the 5000 - 10000 range.  PVC can be a big nuisance and a silent killer due to the years of the ventricle taking the extra abuse from the big thump.  The big thump beats over the years cause Cardiomyopathy.  

[dbranden]

I used to get around 100 per day. The past year they have ramped up quite a bit and I'm now at about 1,000 per day. I hate them, but my doctor says they are merely a nuisance.

[goingcrazy1029]

It all depends on the day. Right now I am in a quiet period and haven't had many. Yet there have been days when they have been fairly steady for 12 plus hours. I am with curmudgen....I cherish the days when I don't FEEL them even though I know I still HAVE them.

[bbxx]

4,000 plus on a medium day pvcs

[Mom2four85]

i'm right there with you on that...the only time I've ever felt my pulse was out of curiosity to what the doctors and nurses were freaking out over lol I should have charged by the minute - I'd be rich

[ireneo]

At my worst it got up to almost 29,000 a day. But usually it's only a couple thousand a day. I seem to have a day now and then that feels almost completely quiet but I know that some of them I can't feel.

[curmudgen]

If I take the time to count them then they are controlling my time and life.  I know I have them and I personally cherish the hours and days when they are absent....

[Mom2four85]

Mine varies also - preablation up to 50,000+ pvc's caught a few times on monitors...post ablation 10,000 pvc's, daily nsvt runs, pac's psvt [brain fog atm so I can't think well] 1,000 was the last count

there's a similar thread that may be helpful I'll try and find it - a running list of member's with pvc/pac count, triggers and solutions etc

[is_something_wrong]

It varies. I can feel 2-20 a day, depending on stress levels and heart rate. Holter confirms I have about 100 a day.