Assessment of palpitations in patients with frequent premature ventricular contractions

Introduction: In patients with frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), palpitations may not always be directly caused by PVCs, and therefore, it is essential to establish symptom-rhythm correlations to determine the appropriate treatment. This study aims to analyze the palpitations and related factors in patients with frequent PVCs.

Methods: The study enrolled patients with frequent PVCs who were not combined with other arrhythmias or structural heart disease. Through face-to-face consultation, patients were divided into symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. For symptomatic patients, the correlation between palpitations and PVC was further evaluated based on the temporal consistency of symptom onset and PVC occurrence. The demographic, clinical, and electrocardiogram features of the patients in each group were compared.

Results: Of the 214 patients enrolled, 124(57.9%) experienced palpitations. Compared to the asymptomatic group, the symptomatic group had a higher proportion of females (63.7% vs. 47.8%; p = .020) and a higher proportion of subjects with anxiety (44.4% vs.14.4%; p = .000). Within the symptomatic patients, 72 (33.60%) who had palpitations that were clearly correlated with PVCs were classified as the PVC-relevant group. In this group, the PVC CI ratios were significantly lower (55% [52% -60%] vs. 62% [55% -67%]; p = .001) and the Post-PVC CI were longer (1170 [1027-1270] vs. 1083 [960-1180] ms; p = .018) than in the PVC-irrelevant group.

Conclusion: A direct relationship between palpitations and PVCs could be established only in a minority of patients with frequent PVCs. PVCs with a relatively short PVC CI and a long post-PVC CI were more likely to cause palpitations, whereas palpitations lasting only a few seconds were more likely to be directly relevant to PVCs.