Frequency, origin, and outcome of ventricular premature complexes in patients with or without heart diseases

The objective of the present study was to investigate the relation of ventricular premature complex (VPC) burden, origin, and electrocardiographic characteristics with left ventricular function and survival. Of 1,589 study patients, 388 (25%), 610 (38%), and 591 (37%) had low (<1,000/24 hours), moderate (1,000 to 10,000/24 hours), and high (>10,000/24 hours) VPC burden, respectively. Twenty-three percent of study patients had a left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction <50% (8% in low-, 20% in moderate-, and 36% in high-VPC-burden groups, p <0.001). High VPC burden was associated with lower LV ejection fraction in the presence (r = -0.17, p <0.001) and absence (r = -0.20, p <0.001) of heart diseases. The Kaplan-Meier survival estimates showed a significant difference among the 3 VPC burden groups (p = 0.046). The survival rates were significantly lower for patients with a VPC coupling interval of ≥480 ms than those with a VPC coupling interval of <480 ms (p = 0.002) and lower for those with a VPC QRS duration of ≥150 ms than those with a VPC QRS duration of <150 ms (p <0.001). In conclusion, high VPC burden is detrimental to LV systolic function. Broader VPC QRS duration and longer VPC coupling interval adversely impact on long-term survival.