Premature ventricular beats in the athlete: management considerations

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Premature ventricular beats (PVBs) in competitive athletes are incidentally found during pre-participation ECG screening. Their clinical significance remains debatable with several studies suggesting they are a benign reflection of athlete’s heart, and others proposing they may indicate underlying structural heart disease and heightened risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD).

Areas covered: Effective management of athletes with PVBs may best be accomplished using an algorithmic approach for risk stratification with a goal of differentiating benign PVBs from those reflective of underlying cardiomyopathies. Current AHA/ACC consensus recommendations provide a platform for determining optimal medical and invasive therapeutic strategies for symptom control and management of long-term complications without erroneously restricting an athlete’s ability to play. Utilizing a shared decision-making model is an optimal method for managing expectations and guiding exercise recommendations.

Expert commentary: Though pre-participation ECG screening as the standard of care for competitive athletes remains controversial in the United States, a 12-lead ECG is often the first indication of underlying structural heart disease in athletes with PVBs and can therefore identify athletes at greater risk of SCD. Advancements in non-invasive imaging continue to improve in diagnostic potential and prognostication. Invasive therapies provide a curative strategy for refractory PVBs and PVB-induced cardiomyopathy.

KEYWORDS:

• Athlete
• competitive sports
• management
• sudden cardiac death
• ventricular arrhythmias
• ventricular ectopic beats

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.