effect of pvc's

We often talk about pvc and pac affecting what we feel as our pulse, that it can throw off the count. Here's just how MUCH it can throw it off! My dad had a reading of 36 the other day. His bp monitor and O2 monitor both said 36, he counted manually and got about the same. He has covid and his O2 sat was 82 so I flipped out and demanded he get someone to take him to the ER before I called 911. On the ekg at the hospital, his pulse was actually in the 80's. 

If you want to know how the story ended, he was admitted for the arrhythmia, not the covid. Three days on the antiviral and he is feeling almost normal, except it seems that either the covid itself or the antiviral undid the ablation he had last spring. His rate had been under control since the ablation and now it's like he never had it. He'll follow up with his ep once he's not contagious. 

4 Comments

Hugs

by Lavender - 2023-10-11 10:14:57

How scary that was! I'm glad he's where he needs to be to get stable. You're a very good daughter 😘

I have heard of so many people that I know who have covid right now! Although they have all had past vaccinations, none has had a chance to get the new formula vaccine. One collapsed at home and was taken by ambulance to the hospital for three nights. Another took Paxlovid real quick and that helped. Yet another stayed home and is self-caring. 
 

We ordered our free government covid tests but haven't gotten the vaccine yet. 
 

Your dad's ablation being undone-it's good this was discovered and can be dealt with when he's better.

What havoc these pests can cause

by Gemita - 2023-10-11 10:17:38

Tracey it is no surprise to many of us how much ectopic beats can throw off the count and your Dad’s awful experience just serves to confirm this.  I will never never try to tell a member again that a PVC or a PAC is just an inefficient beat that is “always” correctly picked up by our pacemaker, because often this is just not the case and that inefficient, irregular, pausing beat, can adversely affect blood flow and may leave us gasping for air and strength.

Unfortunately in my experience, Covid can trigger a worsening of all my arrhythmias, so perhaps when your Dad is properly over his Covid, he will notice a decline in all his rhythm disturbances.   But it may take time. Hopefully his ablation hasn't failed.  Did your Dad receive a booster Covid vaccine?  I have just received mine.

I hope your Dad recovers well and I shall be very interested in hearing what his EP will have to say about his “symptoms” and volatile heart rates in the presence of PVCs.  Ectopic beats may be regarded as benign but they can most definitely cause havoc and "timing" issues for some of us 

 

Dear to my heart

by piglet22 - 2023-10-11 10:56:38

Gemita is right.

I was chatting to the consultant yesterday about the very subject.

Of course ectopics cause timing problems and you will feel the symptoms that go with it. It can and does put you on the floor.

As the consultant said, ectopics, PVCs in my case, are rubbish.

The hospital or anywhere else might say your pulse rate is good, but everything else says it's not. Try telling me that my pulse is 70 BPM and I can only feel 40.

It's the 40 that counts, that takes your BP down and you fall over.

Trust your BP monitor, it's telling you something.

I'd like a pound for every time someone trots out "PM is fine"

The consultant admits that the PM cannot deal with ectopics or better still, ignore them. Depolarisation and refractory tissue was mentioned. None of the manufacturers have solved it.

Hopefully AI will come to the rescue and PMs might have a library of waveforms to check against.

The processors in PMs currently can perform over 1-million calculations per second and are getting faster every day.

One day soon, the problem will be solved but until then, it's business as usual.

Gemita

by Tracey_E - 2023-10-11 12:29:53

The new booster is just now available in their area so he did not have a chance to get it. Mom has covid now, too, but so far minimal symptoms (at least that she's admitting to!). My daughter lives in the same town and has been trying to get it before we leave for a trip next week. She found one place in the next town and made appointment for today, but they canceled last night because they ran out. Their shipment is delayed indefintely and they are not rebooking appointments at this time. She found another place 90 min away and got an appointment for today. Fingers crossed. 

I live in Fl with more elderly so I think we are alotted a larger supply early. I didn't have any trouble getting an appointment, got it last Saturday. The same thing happened last year, I got mine easily, she was not able to find an appointment. She came home from our trip with covid, I did not, even though we were together 24/7, sleeping in the same hotel room, sitting next to each other on the flight, sharing food as often as not. Vaccine for the win, and this year she's not taking chances! 

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Sometimes a device must be tuned a few times before it is right. My cardiologist said it is like fine tuning a car.