Association Between Left Ventricular Function and Recurrent Premature Ventricular Contractions in Patients Referred to Baqiyatullah Hospital

Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) cause left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and may lead to premature ventricular contraction-induced cardiomyopathy (PVC-CM). Evaluation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) using 2D transthoracic echocardiography allows PVC-CM diagnosis only in the later stages. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) and PVCs.
 

We assessed 53 patients admitted to Baqiyatullah Hospital with complaints of heart palpitations. These patients, who had normal LVEF and PVCs between 5000 and 10,000 based on ECG underwent LVGLS evaluation by echocardiography. Then, their LV strain values were compared with those of a corresponding control group.
 

The patient and control groups were well-matched concerning age, sex, and LVEF and had no significant differences. LVGLS was significantly lower in the patient group. ROC curve evaluation showed an acceptable diagnostic value for LVGLS regarding PVCs (AUC, 0.82; P=0.0001), with a sensitivity of 71.7% and a specificity of 84.9%.
 

Recurrent PVCs may cause LV dysfunction and CM independently of any underlying heart disease, despite a normal LVEF. Early detection of subtle ventricular dysfunction can be achieved with speckle-tracking echocardiographic methods other than conventional echocardiographic procedures. The former methods are, therefore, valuable as a critical adjunct in systolic function assessment.