Key result
Premature ventricular complexes are linked to a ~31% higher risk of ischemic stroke.
Why the study?
Recent studies suggested patients with premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) may have a higher risk of ischemic stroke, but data were limited and inconclusive.
Does the presence of premature ventricular complexes increase the risk of ischemic stroke?
Meta-Analysis (n=42,677)
Does the presence of premature ventricular complexes increase the risk of ischemic stroke?
The presence of premature ventricular complexes is associated with a 31% increased relative risk of ischemic stroke, suggesting PVCs may serve as a risk marker for cerebrovascular events.
May flag PVCs as stroke risk marker; leaves open whether suppression alters outcomes in trials.
Recent studies have suggested that patients with premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) may have a higher risk of ischemic stroke. However, the data are limited and inconclusive. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to investigate the association between PVCs and the risk of ischemic stroke. A comprehensive literature review was conducted by searching for published articles indexed in MEDLINE and EMBASE databases from inception through September 25, 2020, to identify studies that compared the risk of ischemic stroke between patients with PVCs and individuals without PVCs. Pooled risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random‐effect, generic inverse variance method of Dersimonian and Laird. A total of four observational studies (2 prospective and 2 retrospective cohort studies) with 42 677 participants met the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta‐analysis. We found that patients with PVCs have a significantly higher risk of ischemic stroke than individuals without PVCs with the pooled RR of 1.31 (95% CI, 1.07–1.60, I 2 = 43%). From our systematic review and meta‐analysis, we found that PVCs are associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke. Whether this association is causal and how it should be addressed in clinical practice require further investigations.
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Rujirachun et al. (2020) conducted a meta-analysis in Ischemic stroke (n=42,677). Premature ventricular complexes vs. Individuals without premature ventricular complexes was evaluated on Ischemic stroke (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.07-1.60). Premature ventricular complexes are associated with a significantly higher risk of ischemic stroke compared to individuals without PVCs (RR 1.31).
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