Association of premature ventricular complexes and risk of ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

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, I2 = 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.

The impact of triglyceride-glucose index on ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…There are several validated risk factors as a target for IS prevention, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypercoagulable states, current smoking, atrial fibrillation (AF), and premature ventricular complexes (PVC). However, these risk factors fail to explain all cases of stroke and lack uniform applicability [ 4 , 9 ].…”

Evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of premature ventricular contractions

“…Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are heartbeats that occur below the bifurcation of the His bundle, prematurely depolarizing the myocardium. [1] They are the most common arrhythmia. Among the general population, their prevalence on conventional electrocardiograms is estimated at 1% to 4%.…”

“…Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are heartbeats that occur below the bifurcation of the His bundle, prematurely depolarizing the myocardium [1] . They are the most common arrhythmia.…”