PVC vs A-Fib ?

[Cooker]

Can someone tell me the difference? And is there away to know which one is going on with out going to the doctor? I have notice a bit of bouncing around, now and then. I have been working very hard and under a ton of stress and I know this can cause a bump in the road but after 4 years and 4 months with ZERO issues this is a bit disheartening, pun intended:tongue2:

 

[Ross]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_ventricular_contraction

I was throwing off PVC's in the sleep lab. Need to talk to my cardio about it.

All I can tell you is, it's pretty common, involves the ventricle rather then atrium and it's skipped beats rather then quivering.

 

[Cooker]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_ventricular_contraction

I was throwing off PVC's in the sleep lab. Need to talk to my cardio about it.

All I can tell you is, it's pretty common, involves the ventricle rather then atrium and it's skipped beats rather then quivering.

thanks Ross...

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Do you have a stethoscope? If not I suggest buying one. An inexpensive model is "good enough".

I found PAC's and PVC's to be "Regularly Irregular", i.e it was a short irregular pattern that repeated itself.
I'm told that an EKG is needed to differentiate between PAC's and PVC's.
PAC's and PVC's are usually deemed to be "benign",
(unless they occur with NO regular heartbeats between them, then you probably want to get checked out pretty quickly)

Atrial Fibrilation is just plain "Irregular" and may or may not have an elevated Heart Rate (>100 bpm).
My description of A-Fib is a "Whack-o Heartbeat".
Doctor's get concerned about A-Fib because of the possibility of Clot Formation.
The usual treatment is to be put on Coumadin / Warfarin.

It is not uncommon for A-Fib to occur AFTER exercise (or other forms of stress).

You probably already know that Amiodarone is the Sledge Hammer of anti-arrhythmic medications
but comes with a laundry list of nasty side effects if taken in too high a dose or for too long (more than a few months).

Sotalol (generic form of BetaPace) supposedly "targets" A-Fib and has worked well for several of our members.
It is recommended that patients be hospitalized for a few days while the body adjusts to the drug since dangerous arrhythmias *may* be triggered while the body is 'adjusting'.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Ross]

My description of A-Fib is a "Whack-o Heartbeat".

Love it! That's exactly what it is.

 

[Cooker]

Al and Ross, thanks ... I had A-Fib many times prior to AVR with Ablation but have noticed a few irregular beats and jumps over the past few days ... never last long like my A-Fib did ... all seems to be well now ... I really need a vacation ...

 

[Luana]

I started getting PVCs when I had endocarditis. To me they felt like a little bird fluttering in my chest. Even after I was better, I would still get them, and, from what I understand, they are mostly benign and rarely cause for concern.

Since my AVR, my heart feels totally different. I can barely tell when I have PVCs. The last day I was in the hospital I was so bored I stared at the monitor a lot and it identified every abnormal rhythm. When I was having PVCs, I could barely feel them. They didn't feel anything like they used to.

A few days after surgery when I was still in the hospital and had a-fib, it started by feeling like my heart was doing somersaults and dropping. I was standing up the first time it started and it almost felt like my heart could have fallen right out of my body. Pretty dramatic (and so was everything that happened afterwards). If you're getting SOB and fatigue, it may very well be a-fib, and I think if you're getting SOB with any irregular beat, you should be seen.

Different people experience these things differently, and what it may feel like to me, may not feel the same to you. I've heard of people who have no physical sensations at all when they're having a-fib so I wouldn't take too much for granted or try to figure it out myself when it comes to having irregular beats and would see the doc about them.

 

[Ross]

What makes it a concern for myself is, cardiomyopathy. I'm at risk for sudden death as is.

 

[Luana]

What makes it a concern for myself is, cardiomyopathy. I'm at risk for sudden death as is.

That would indeed make it a concern.

 

[ARGreenMN]

I got really in-tune with the difference a few weeks ago when I went to the ER twice (2 wks after my AVR). As described above, they're very distinctively different. But both seem to be benign as long as you're anti-coagulated (like I am anyway because of the mechanical valve). Al's description is spot-on from what I experienced, and as I said, I got VERY in tune with it because my mechanical valve ticks, and I can hear every beat (or lack thereof). So, PAC/PVCs are regularly irregular, meaning something like Beat, Beat, Skip, Beat, Beat, Skip. Where afib is more like be-a, t, ssssk-i-p, bea-tttt, skiiiiip, beat-beat-beat, skip, skip, beeeattttt, skiipppp, beeat, beat, skip.

 

[Gnusgal]

My best descriptions:

PVCs- feels like my heart has the hiccups.
A-Fib- feels like I'm running a marathon in my seat.

 

[hook]

What makes it a concern for myself is, cardiomyopathy. I'm at risk for sudden death as is.

Ross, Sounds like you and I have the same playbook. My EF is 30% with my cardiomyopathy, and I am trying to decide about getting a defib device.

As for the a-fib, I have struggled with that since my surgery 6 weeks ago. The first episode was 8 days, then they started the Amioderone. It stayed gone for 10 days then came back for 28 hours. Now it just jumps in and out with no warning. I describe my afib as my heart is sending Morris code. Recently there is something a little different; my doc thinks it is the Amioderone and Betas working together to casue a slow, pounding heartbeat in the 40s; they sound like this click,click,,,,,,click,click,,,,,,click,clcik. These are so strong I could swear I feel the blood rusing out of my beart; they daon't last long though.

 

[Luana]

I just thought of this. One way I can really tell is by my heart rate. PVCs may raise it a bit, like into 70s or 80s, but with a-fib, I'm 130s or 150s or more. Doesn't feel like any skipped beats to me with a-fib, just way too darn many of them.

 

[Penny]

so tell me.. when should you consider going to doc versus emergency if you are having a few irregular beats? Can this be extra activity or caffeine intake?

 

[ALCapshaw2]

so tell me.. when should you consider going to doc versus emergency if you are having a few irregular beats? Can this be extra activity or caffeine intake?

That can be 'tricky'. You should probably seek medical advice if you have not been evaluated and put on medication to control your episodes. Once you become familiar with how your body reacts to each type of arrhythmia you commonly experience, ask your cardio if you should just take another dose (or half dose) of your medication and give it time to act.

If your arrhythmias are debilitating and don't go away after taking your medication, it would be wise to either call your Doctor or go to the ER to be evaluated. Hopefully proper medication and avoidance of triggers (such as caffeine, stress, etc.) will keep you under control.

'AL C'

 

[Luana]

so tell me.. when should you consider going to doc versus emergency if you are having a few irregular beats? Can this be extra activity or caffeine intake?

Penny, if you're asking for yourself, in light of how close you are to being out of surgery, if you're having any irregular beats, I would say definitely put in a call to the doctor. If your heart rate is over 100, go to the ER; it's probably a-fib. PVCs usually won't drive your heart rate up that much, and this close to surgery, a very fast heart rate is likely a-fib.

 

[Penny]

I went to doc today, he has ordered a holter for me to wear, and ecg tomorrow. I am not having any symptoms right now but it was pretty often earilier. I don't think it is a-fib because my heartrate isn't escalating. I drank some gingerale and since I haven't had any caffeine in my diet maybe that was the cause. It was funny because I called the surgeon's office and told them what was happening. The receptionist told me to go to my gp and that they weren't really there to answer questions that my family doc should be the one who I should turn to first and formost.. so when I told my gp this he was quite miffed about it.. he said sounds like she was passing the buck.. anyways he said they need to deal with it for they are the specialists. Someone is gonna be in you know what...
Anyways he said he would order these tests and told me if this worsens to go to emerg..
I was just curious as to how many had this type of issue?

 

[Luana]

Arrhythmias are fairly common after VR surgery, even though you're 2 weeks out, it's still early in the game. I'm glad your doctor has ordered a holter. I think you're right that it probably is not a-fib (it has a tendency to make its presence known) and it will be good to know what's going on with you.

I didn't think ginger ale had caffeine in it? Take it easy! :angel:

 

[hook]

I have learned the best way to get your symptoms to go away is to go to the doctor. The best bet to catch these issues is an event monitor; this allows you to catch the crazy things when they happen.

 

[Mileena46]

I developed A-fib on August 4 after surgery July 16th! I was cardio-converted and went up until this summer with no signs of A-fib....then one day during a very stressful day at work I started having the jumpy heart and the skipped beats, and the extra beats. It lasted for about 8 hours, and stopped as suddenly as it started. I did take two doses of magnesium supplement during that time. They usually work great, so if you haven't tried the magnesium, it might be worth looking into.

Mileena