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Isolation and Functional Characterization of Human Ventricular Cardiomyocytes from Fresh Surgical Samples
Published on: April 21, 2014
'Frequent' ventricular bigeminy--a reversible cause of dilated cardiomyopathy. How frequent is 'frequent'?
N Shanmugam1, T P Chua, D Ward
1Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, United Kingdom. nesan_s@hotmail.com
Abstract:
An interesting development in the field of heart failure has been the link between frequent premature ventricular contractions and cardiomyopathy. We report a patient whose frequent ventricular bigeminy resulted in left ventricular impairment that resolved after the use of non-contact mapping during radiofrequency ablation. A review of the literature regarding possible mechanisms is discussed. For the practicing clinician, the question of 'frequent' should be taken in context of symptoms and LV function. A single 24-h Holter monitor may not truly reflect the ectopic load. We recommend that if there is associated LV dysfunction and a causal link to frequent PVCs then suppression with radiofrequency ablation is a safe and effective treatment strategy.
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