Association between premature ventricular complexes during exercise, long-term occurrence of life-threatening arrhythmia and mortality

OBJECTIVE: Exercise-induced premature ventricular complexes (EiPVCs) are often considered as benign arrhythmias, although they are associated with a high risk of all-cause death in the general healthy population. However, an intermediate pathophysiological process remains unclear, particularly in patients with known cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to find an association between EiPVCs, the occurrence of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (LACO), and all-cause mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease. METHODS: This was an observational study of a cohort of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) or idiopathic cardiomyopathy (ICM). Stress testing was performed as a part of the routine cardiovascular evaluation. The occurrence of EiPVCs was evaluated during exercise testing (ET). At follow-up, long-term occurrence of LACO was evaluated. A bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed. RESULTS: 1.2-3.4, P<.01). Occurrence of LACO was also associated with a higher mortality risk (RR=5.7, 95% CI; 3.4-9.4, P<.001). After a post hoc analysis, LACO remained as a highly predictive variable for mortality. CONCLUSION: Patients with EiPVCs have a high risk of LACO and all-cause mortality. The presence of LACO could be an intermediate stage between EiPVCs and mortality in subjects with cardiovascular disease.