Premature ventricular complexes are the most common ventricular arrhythmias in the structurally normal heart. Although premature ventricular complexes can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life by causing symptoms such as palpitations or dizziness they have historically been considered benign. More recently, however, highly frequent premature ventricular complexes have been shown to reduce left ventricular function causing - or worsening - heart failure in some patients. What more, premature ventricular complexes often precede the onset of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in primary electrical cardiac disorders such as the long QT and Brugada syndrome and in patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation. Reduction of premature ventricular complexes and their consequences can be achieved by treatment with pharmacological agents or catheter ablation. Despite initial enthusiasm, the side effects and sometimes limited effectiveness of therapy can make treatment challenging.
Insight into the mechanism underlying premature ventricular contraction may help to guide and improve the outcome of therapy for these patients. In this Research Topic we address the following questions:
- What are the pathophysiological mechanisms of premature ventricular complexes in the structurally normal heart?
- Which patients are at risk of heart failure by frequent premature ventricular complexes and how can we identify these patients?
- What pathophysiological mechanisms underlie the initiation of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in primary electrical cardiac disorders and idiopathic ventricular fibrillation?
- What is the best treatment strategy of patients with premature ventricular complexes?
Premature ventricular complexes are the most common ventricular arrhythmias in the structurally normal heart. Although premature ventricular complexes can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life by causing symptoms such as palpitations or dizziness they have historically been considered benign. More recently, however, highly frequent premature ventricular complexes have been shown to reduce left ventricular function causing - or worsening - heart failure in some patients. What more, premature ventricular complexes often precede the onset of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in primary electrical cardiac disorders such as the long QT and Brugada syndrome and in patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation. Reduction of premature ventricular complexes and their consequences can be achieved by treatment with pharmacological agents or catheter ablation. Despite initial enthusiasm, the side effects and sometimes limited effectiveness of therapy can make treatment challenging.
Insight into the mechanism underlying premature ventricular contraction may help to guide and improve the outcome of therapy for these patients. In this Research Topic we address the following questions:
- What are the pathophysiological mechanisms of premature ventricular complexes in the structurally normal heart?
- Which patients are at risk of heart failure by frequent premature ventricular complexes and how can we identify these patients?
- What pathophysiological mechanisms underlie the initiation of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in primary electrical cardiac disorders and idiopathic ventricular fibrillation?
- What is the best treatment strategy of patients with premature ventricular complexes?
