Improved
6112 HealthChanged
3786 LivesSaved
3568 Lives0 lives impacted in the last 24 hrs Learn More
Listen as Dr. Shokooh explains what PVCs/premature ventricular contractions are.
Dr. Shokooh:
Premature ventricular contractions or premature atrial contractions are the beats that come early and that is why they are premature. The heart has its pump action and it has its electrical action and that’s premature beats on the side of the electricity of the heart. So if the heart itself is normal and works normally and pumps normally these beats that come through are more of nuisances and if they are erratic and come here and there, it’s more of a symptom control then doing anything to help the heart move better or work better. So, there are a lot triggering factors and coffee can be one, alcohol can be one, lack of sleep, dehydration can bring these symptoms. But I’ve seen and we’ve seen these patients, women during their menopause, they may get more of them, especially if they had them in their teenage years or sometime during their 20s or 30s. It may go away and come back during their menopause and then after menopause they will be gone. Again, it could be the changes in the hormones, the hormonal imbalances that are occurring, and all the other factors that go with the menopause will be triggering the premature beats. Again, if the heart is the normal, they are more of nuisance than being detrimental to the heart.
About Dr. Shokooh, M.D.:
Dr. Shalizeh Shokooh is Director at the Women's Heart Center at the Orange County Heart Institute and Co-Director of the Women Heart Center at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Orange County, California. Dr. Shokooh graduated medical school and finished her residency at UC Irvine. She also conducted a cardiology fellowship at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. She is a member of the American College of Cardiology and Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology. Dr. Shokooh can treat patients in English, Spanish, and Farsi.
View More Dr. Shokooh Videos:
https://www.empowher.com/users/dr-shalizeh-shokooh
Visit Dr. Shokooh at the Orange County Heart Institute