Arrhythmias in the neonatal period are not uncommon, and may occur in neonates with a normal heart or in those with structural heart disease. Neonatal arrhythmias are classified as either benign or nonbenign. Benign arrhythmias include sinus arrhythmia, premature atrial contraction, premature ventricular contraction, and junctional rhythm; these arrhythmias have no clinical significance and do ...

Two patients without any risk factors for coronary artery disease presented with symptomatic, recurrent, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. They were found to have a postero-lateral left ventricular aneurysm and diverticulum. Coronary angiography revealed normal coronary arteries. The 12-lead electrocardiogram showed sinus rhythm with frequent premature ventricular contractions. Their nonsus...

Several clinical predictors of VPD-induced cardiomyopathy and HF have been identified. Classically, a high VPD burden of more than 24% has been associated with impaired LVEF and HF [13]. A longitudinal study found subclinical deterioration in LVEF over 5 years in those with a high burden of VPDs (≥ 10-20%) [14]. Despite the absence of a definitive and clear cutoff, the risk of developing NICM a...

Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are early depolarizations of the myocardium originating in the ventricle. They are often seen in association with structural heart disease and represent increased risk of sudden death,1 yet they are ubiquitous, even in the absence of identifiable heart disease.1,2 They may cause troubling and sometimes incapacitating symptoms such as palpitations, chest...

The majority of deaths from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) occur prior to the arrival of medical aid and appear to be due to ventricular fibrillation (VF). Since the premature ventricular contraction and bradyeardia are believed to predispose to VF, it has been suggested that administration of atropine or lidocaine during the prehospital phase of AMI may effectively reduce mortality in AMI. ...