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Ectopic heartbeats

This factsheet provides information for people who experience ectopic heartbeats. It gives a individuals, in those with structural disease description of this condition, how to recognise they may be of greater signifi cance, and further it, and how it can be alleviated if problematic. cardiological assessment may be advised.

An ectopic beat is an additional beat of the heart Frequent atrial ectopics together with a which can come from either the upper chamber of signifi cant CHA2DS2-VASc (AF-related stroke the heart (the ) or the lower chamber risk) score may be an indication of underlying (the ). They are therefore described as atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is a common irregular heart rhythm (an ) which carries a premature atrial contractions (PACs) or - Patient information Ectopic heartbeats premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). The signifi cant increased AF-related stroke risk. beat occurs just before the normal heartbeat. Some schools of thought consider that ectopic Ectopics tend to occur when the heart rate is episodes or lasting more than 30 slower, such as when we are relaxing in the seconds actually are AF, and should therefore be evening or sleeping at night. assessed for AF-related stroke risk. Ectopics can either be felt as an extra beat in the If a person suffering with ectopic beats is otherwise rhythm of the heart or as a thud following a short fi t and healthy, all that is usually needed is pause in the rhythm of the heart. In this second reassurance and advice, such as cutting down on example the additional beat of the heart has anything that may be acting as a stimulant, for occurred in the pause, and the following thud is example alcohol or caffeine. Stress can also trigger the heart catching up. ectopic beats. Off-the-shelf cold and flu medicines sometimes contain decongestants and other drugs Ectopic beats are common, and in most people that can stimulate the heart, and these are with no other known heart condition they are probably best avoided. harmless. They carry no increased stroke risk even in patients with a damaged heart, such as those If symptoms are persistent and uncomfortable, with or runs of supraventricular medical therapies may be appropriate. Generally, (SVT). your doctor would initially use a medication such as a beta blocker (e.g. bisoprolol). In patients with Although the symptoms necessarily can be asthma or bronchitis, such medicines cannot be unpleasant or cause , they do not indicate used, and an alternative such as a calcium channel any problems with the heart, and the extra beats blocker (e.g. diltiazem) may be considered. In will not usually cause any damage. some otherwise healthy individual, other drugs Normally a clinician will diagnose an ectopic beat may reduce the symptoms effectively, but their from what you have told them. A heart tracing risks may outweigh the benefits. electrocardiogram (ECG) will confirm this In summary, ectopic beats are nearly always diagnosis. Any ectopic beats will appear as a harmless and do not indicate any problems with different pattern on the visual trace. If the ectopics the heart. However, it is always best to see your are less frequent, it may not be possible to catch doctor for evaluation and investigation. them on an ECG, so a portable monitor may be more likely to capture them. In patients with frequent symptoms, a 24-hour ECG will sometimes be undertaken to clarify Acknowledgements: AF Association would like to thank the pattern and frequency of the ectopic beats all those who helped in the development and review of this publication. In particular, thanks are given to Dr Matt Fay, and their relation to symptoms. Although ectopic Mrs Jayne Mudd and Dr Charlotte D’Souza. beats are not a cause for concern in most Founder & CEO Trudie Lobban MBE, FRCP (Edin) Registered Charity No. 1122442 endorsed by by © AF Association Published October 2009, 1 www.heartrhythmalliance.org Reviewed September 2021 Affi liate Please remember that this publication provides general guidelines only. Individuals should always discuss their condition with a healthcare professional. If you would like further information or would like to provide feedback please contact AF Association.