Suppression of Premature Ventricular Contractions: We Can, but Should We?

We Can, but Should We?

We can, but should we? After recently reflecting upon our profession as pediatric critical care physicians , I concluded that this one complex question gets asked many times throughout the day – or at least it should. A recent report discussed an emerging paradigm in pediatric critical care medicine (1). With more and more chronic patients filling our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), perha...

Yes, We Can! (Should We?).

Suppression of premature ventricular contractions by acebutolol.

The antiarrhythmic action of the beta-blocking drug, acebutolol, was evaluated in patients with frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). In the 12 hours following administration of a single 300 mg oral dose, 8 of 10 patients showed a greater than 50% reduction in PVC frequency, and statistical analysis indicated that PVC reduction persisted for 10 hours after the single dose. Analysi...

Exercise-induced premature ventricular beats: should we do anything differently?

Exercise testing has typically been used to diagnose myocardial ischemia and to risk stratify patients with known coronary disease. The interpretation of stress testing has rested largely on the development of ST-segment changes and the presence of anginal symptoms.1 Stress tests have also been used to help categorize and treat various cardiac arrhythmias.2 Single ventricular premature beats (V...

Yes we can, but do we?

In recent decades, a curious demographic phenomenon has emerged in US science. A high and increasing proportion of PhD students and postdocs, especially in the life sciences, are drawn from beyond the shores of North America. The reasons for this are undoubtedly complex. One factor is the widespread perception in the USA that a career in academic science is marked by low salaries, poor job secu...