Do my past heart problems increase my chance of stroke?
I understand how those "skipped" beats can be worrisome, especially with your past history of atrial fibrillation (AF). Occasional PVCs will not increase your risk for a stroke. If you have not had a Holter monitor to determine what the skipped beats are, I would suggest having one to make sure you aren't having little runs of AF. Some people have episodes of AF and are not aware of them. If that were the case, you would need to discuss blood thinners (Coumadin)with your cardiologist. The need for the blood thinner would depend on the amount and duration of AF if that were the case. If you are having AF and not on blood thinners the risk for stroke would increase.
If possible, check your pulse daily to be sure it is regular. If you feel a skip or two, just recheck it to be sure it returns to normal. Also, consider speaking with your physician about wearing a Holter monitor to evaluate what the "skips" really are.
From Chelios:
Dear Carolyn and Margie, Thank you for your response to my long-winded question. I did wear a Holter monitor for 48 hours about a year ago when I began experiencing more Premature Ventricular Contractions on a daily basis. My cardioligist saw nothing to be concerned about, and said he saw no evidence of AF. However, it took much prodding from me to get him to finally admit that he saw some PVC's. Although he tried to reassure me that PVC's are relatively benign in most cases, I couldn't help but feel less than reassured by his diagnosis because of my past history with AF. It's just that in the four years since the ablation procedure, the strange beats seem to be gradually occuring more frequently. After living with AF for 15 years, I know what it feels like. Even my doctors were surprised by my ability to know when I was or wasn't in AF, as many patients don't feel it. I haven't had any little runs of AF (unless it occurs while I am sleeping) that I am aware of, and the Holter monitor verified this fact. I may contact the electro-physiologist who did my ablation procedure and seek his opinion as he may be more qualified to diagnose any tyoe of irregular beat. I guess I should be thankful that the ablation was successful and that I only have a few PVC'S most days. Again, thanks for your reply, it was most helpful.
