WEBVTT

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Premature Ventricular
Contractions If you've ever felt

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like your heart skipped
a beat or jumped,

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you may have had a premature
ventricular contraction, or PVC.

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Many people experience PVCs
at one time or another.

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PVCs are very common
and usually don't mean

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that anything is
wrong with your heart.

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Even so, it's important to talk
with your health care provider

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if you feel like your heart
is skipping beats, jumping,

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or having extra beats.

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Causes Your heart
has four chambers.

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The two smaller chambers
on top are called atria,

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and the two large
muscular chambers below are

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called ventricles.

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Blood returning from your body

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and lungs collects
in your atria.

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The blood in your
atria then flows

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into your ventricles
between heartbeats.

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The right ventricle
pumps blood to your lungs

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and the left ventricle
pumps oxygenated blood

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out to the rest of your body.

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Electrical signals travel

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through your heart,
making it beat.

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These signals normally
start in your right atrium

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and follow a certain pathway
down to the ventricles.

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Sometimes signals come from
an unusual spot in your heart,

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changing the pattern
of your heartbeat.

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When one of these signals
comes from your ventricle,

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it can cause an early heartbeat.

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This is a PVC.

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Your heart will usually
pause briefly after the PVC,

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and the next beat is
often stronger than usual.

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If you have a PVC, you may feel
like your heart skipped a beat

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or had a sudden, stronger beat.

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PVCs can have many causes.

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Most of them are harmless.

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But sometimes, PVCs can be a
sign of heart disease or injury.

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Anxiety, stimulants such as
caffeine, certain medications,

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and thyroid problems can
sometimes trigger PVCs.

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Symptoms Some of the symptoms
you might get with PVCs include:

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Skipped heartbeats
Sudden, strong heartbeats,

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and Extra heartbeats
Not everyone

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who has PVCs notices them.

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During your exam, your health
care provider will listen

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to your heart and
take your pulse.

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The next step may be to get
an electrocardiogram, or ECG.

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Often this test will be normal
Your health care provider may

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want a longer recording of your
heart's electrical activity.

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This means you may need
to wear a heart monitor

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for a day or more.

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You may also have
an echocardiogram.

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An echocardiogram, which is
often simply called an echo,

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is an ultrasound picture
that looks at the size

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and structure of your heart.

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It's also used to see how
well your heart pumps blood.

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Your health care provider may
also recommend blood tests.

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These can provide clues about
the cause of your symptoms.

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Treatment Most PVCs
don't need treatment.

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Often, they go away
on their own.

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If you have any medical
conditions that can cause PVCs,

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those generally will be treated.

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You might be told to avoid
caffeine and other things

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that might trigger PVCs.

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If your symptoms
are very bothersome,

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your health care provider
may recommend treatment

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to stop your PVCs.

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Treatment may involve
medications or heart procedures.

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Things to Remember The cause
of many PVCs is unknown.

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Often, PVCs don't
require treatment

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and will go away on their own.

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Sometimes, PVC triggers can
be identified and avoided.

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If you feel like your
heart skips beats or jumps,

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talk with your health
care provider.

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Working with your health
care provider is the best way

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to get answers and figure

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out whether your
symptoms need treatment.

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What We Have Learned Caffeine
can trigger PVCs in some people.

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True or False?

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The answer is True.

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Anxiety, stimulants such as
caffeine, certain medications,

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and thyroid problems can
sometimes trigger PVCs.

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The only treatment for
PVCs is heart surgery.

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True or False?

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The answer is False.

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Most PVCs don't need treatment.

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Often, they go away
on their own.