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Dr. Joshua Lloyd, Dr. Mihnea Casian. European Association of Preventive Cardiology.

Abstract:

Premature Ventricular Complexes (PVCs) are a common ECG finding in athletes, present in somewhere between 1-10% of screening ECGs.(1–4) PVCs can occur in the absence of identifiable cardiovascular disease. In this case, they are called “idiopathic” and generally considered benign.(4,5) However, PVCs may also represent an underlying cardiac disorder that places the athlete at increased risk of sudden cardiac death. (2,6–8) In rare instances, even idiopathic PVCs can place an athlete at risk of adverse cardiac outcomes.(9,10) This case provides an example of how to evaluate an athlete with PVCs, to distinguish physiological PVCs from pathological. It also considers the management of a patient with idiopathic ventricular ectopy.