Premature Ventricular Complexes (PVC's) - Ventricular Rhythms.
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Description 1
- PVC’s may occur for a number of different reasons i.e., diet, fatigue, stress, disease, ischemia to name a few.
- Premature complexes frequently occur in bradycardic rhythms, but may occur almost any time.
- PVC’s occur when an early electrical impulse occurs from a location in either ventricle.

Description 2
- This early impulse causes an early cardiac complex which disrupts the underlying rhythm.
- The locus of stimulation being different, results in a change in the morphology of the cardiac complex.
- Note the absence of P wave and the wide, bizarre QRS complex.
- PVC’s can occur occasionally or frequently.
- PVC’s can be observed with or without a pattern

Practice Strip

Analyze this tracing using the five steps of rhythm analysis.
Show Answer
- Rhythm: Irregular
- Rate: 60
- P Wave: upright and uniform, absent on early complex
- PR interval: 0.16 sec
- QRS: 0.08 sec, early complex wide and bizarre 0.16 sec
- Interpretation: Sinus Rhythm with PVC
Authors and Reviewers
Authored by Thomas O'BrienMedically reviewed by Dr. Jonathan Keroes, MD, Cardiology
Last Update: 11/8/2020