Premature ventricular complexes

Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) are early ventricular contractions triggered by an ectopic focus from within the ventricle. They are common in the general population and may cause symptoms at any burden. They become clinically relevant in the context of symptoms or complications such as PVC-induced cardiomyopathy or, more rarely, PVC-triggered malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Investigating for underlying structural heart disease is essential in patients with clinically relevant PVCs as this will inform patient counselling and management options. Treatment is guided by symptoms or left ventricular dysfunction associated with PVCs. Management options include conservative management, medical therapy and catheter ablation. In this review, we discuss the definition of PVCs and how they may present, outline relevant investigations for these patients, and discuss management considerations and treatment options.