Premature ventricular contraction pathophysiology
Premature ventricular contraction Microchapters |
Differentiating Premature Ventricular Contraction from other Disorders |
---|
Diagnosis |
Treatment |
Case Studies |
Premature ventricular contraction pathophysiology On the Web |
Premature ventricular contraction pathophysiology in the news |
to Hospitals Treating Premature ventricular contraction pathophysiology |
Risk calculators and risk factors for Premature ventricular contraction pathophysiology |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Mugilan Poongkunran M.B.B.S [2]
Overview
Premature ventricular contraction is a relatively common event where the heartbeat is initiated by Purkinje fibres in the ventricles rather than by the sinoatrial node, the normal heartbeat initiator.
Pathophysiology
- In a normal heartbeat, the ventricles contract after the atria have helped to fill them by contracting, in this way the ventricles can pump a maximized amount of blood both to the lungs and to the rest of the body. In a PVC, the ventricles contract first and before the atria have optimally filled the ventricles with blood, which means that circulation is inefficient.
- The electrical events of the heart detected by the electrocardiogram allow a PVC to be easily distinguished from a normal heart beat. A PVC may be perceived as a skipped beat.