PVCs During Recovery from Stress Testing Have Prognostic Implications

Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) occurring during recovery from exercise testing are associated with increased mortality, whereas PVCs during the exercise test are not, according to a report in Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers studied some 1850 patients referred for exercise testing and followed outcomes for 5 years. Patients were free of heart failure at entry. The investigators found that all-cause mortality was higher among those with PVCs in the exercise-recovery period than those with PVCs during exercise. Mortality rates did not differ significantly between patients with PVCs during exercise and those without PVCs.

The authors conclude that recovery PVCs "have prognostic significance that augments established risk factors." They say that further testing is probably warranted in those patients with recovery-phase PVCs.