title: 'Frequent' ventricular bigeminy--a reversible cause of dilated cardiomyopathy. How frequent is 'frequent'?
abstract: An interesting development in the field of heart failure has been the link between frequent premature ventricular contractions and cardiomyopathy. We report a patient whose frequent ventricular bigeminy resulted in left ventricular impairment that resolved after the use of non-contact mapping during radiofrequency ablation. A review of the literature regarding possible mechanisms is discussed. For the practicing clinician, the question of 'frequent' should be taken in context of symptoms and LV function. A single 24-h Holter monitor may not truly reflect the ectopic load. We recommend that if there is associated LV dysfunction and a causal link to frequent PVCs then suppression with radiofrequency ablation is a safe and effective treatment strategy.
authors.affiliation: Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, United Kingdom. nesan_s@hotmail.com
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shanmugam
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*