Ambulatory blood pressure results and heart rate variability in patients with premature ventricular contractions

Abstract

Background: The presence of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) is a sign of arrhythmia and typically trigerred by over stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. This study examined the relationships among PVCs, heart rate variability (HRV), and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) results. Methods: This observational clinical study evaluated a cohort of 100 consecutive patients (58 women and 42 men) with PVCs. The individuals were split into occasional (n = 50) and frequent (n = 50) PVCs groups. All Holter recordings were performed during a working day. Results: Daytime low-frequency power (LFP), daytime low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF), nighttime LFP, and nighttime LF/HF and 24-hour systolic blood pressure (SBP) were slightly higher in the frequent PVCs group (p = 0.046, p = 0.027, p = 0.038, p = 0.032, and p < 0.001, respectively). Hypertension, LF, LF/HF, 24-hour SBP were positively correlated with PVCs (r = 0.305, p = 0.002; r = 0.269, p = 0.007; r = 0.403, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Frequent PVCs reflect dominance of the sympathetic system according to the results of Holter recordings. This study showed that PVC had a significant association with high blood pressure values. Assessment of ABP and HRV in patients with PVCs is part of a comprehensive approach to the assessment of cardiovascular regulation.

Keywords

• ambulatory blood pressure
• heart rate variability
• high frequency power
• low frequency power
• premature ventricular contractions