Description of the Disease
Extrasystole is an out-of-sequence premature contraction of the heart chambers, occurring in an ectopic focus under the influence of a pathological impulse. Depending on the location of the pathological impulse, extrasystole is classified as atrial or ventricular.
Causes of the Disease
The causes of extrasystole can include ischemic heart disease, previous heart attack, hormonal and electrolyte imbalances, myocarditis, heart defects, alcohol and substance abuse, and stress.
Symptoms of the Disease
Characteristic symptoms of extrasystole reported by patients include 'jolts' and strong heartbeats, a feeling of 'skipping' in the chest, 'heart flips', a sensation of stopped heart, but there are cases where there are no complaints, and the diagnosis is established incidentally during routine examination based on ECG or 24-hour ECG monitoring data.
Diagnostics of the Disease
The diagnosis is usually established based on an ECG or 24-hour ECG monitoring. With ECG, it is often possible to even determine the location of the source of extrasystole, which allows planning the course of surgical treatment in advance, if such treatment is prescribed. To schedule diagnostics for extrasystole, please call us at +7 (999) 238-01-36.
Treatment of the Disease
The choice of treatment method is based on the clinical picture of the disease, data from instrumental studies, and current recommendations. Typically, treatment of extrasystole begins with medical antiarrhythmic therapy.
The effectiveness of treatment is monitored by repeated 24-hour ECG monitoring.
If the therapy is ineffective, serious side effects occur, or if prolonged use of medications is not possible (for example, when planning pregnancy), radiofrequency ablation (RFA) may be performed – elimination of the pathological focus with radiofrequency energy delivered by a catheter. RFA in many cases allows to permanently eliminate arrhythmia without the need for subsequent prolonged medication intake.
Prognosis of the Disease
Extrasystole can often significantly reduce the quality of life of patients. It can provoke the development of more serious persistent cardiac rhythm disturbances: atrial extrasystole can 'trigger' atrial fibrillation, ventricular extrasystole can trigger sustained ventricular tachycardia – a potentially life-threatening condition.
Ventricular extrasystole itself requires careful patient examination, including echocardiography, stress tests, MRI, or coronary angiography.
Learn more about atrial fibrillation Learn more about coronary angiography