• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Front Line Mobile Health

A veteran-owned company

  • Our Approach
  • Services
    • Fire Services
    • Law Enforcement
    • Medical Services
    • Psychological Services
    • Professional Services
    • Data Analytics & Decision Science
  • About
    • Executive Team
      • Russell A. Burnham, APA-C
      • Michael Conner, APA-C
      • Dr. John Obermiller, MD
      • Rebecca Blood, PHD
    • Medical Team
      • Cody Mead, DO
      • Satish Chandra, MD
      • Douglas Tilton, MD
      • Chelsea Conner, Apa-C
      • Stefan Mcfarland, PA-C
      • Jennifer Murphy, RDMS
    • Human Performance
      • Rebecca Blood, PHD
      • Collin Mullins, PsyD
      • Alex Jesko, BS
  • COVID-19 Response
  • Resources
    • FAQ
    • Blog
    • Videos
    • Privacy Practices
    • HIPAA Statement
    • Medical Records Request
  • Contact

Heart Health

Why Monitoring Premature Ventricular Contractions is More Important for Firefighters

March 4, 2021

Why Monitoring Premature Ventricular Contractions is More Important for Firefighters

Premature Ventricular Contractions

Premature ventricular contractions (PVC) are extra beats that can disrupt the normal pumping rhythm of the heart. PVC’s can be associated with increased levels of adrenaline in the body that may be caused by:

  • Caffeine
  • Tobacco
  • Exercise
  • Anxiety
  • Possibly injury to the heart muscle from coronary artery disease
  • Congenital heart disease
  • High blood pressure.

 PVC’s can affect the heart in different ways. At the moment they occur they decrease cardiac output by not allowing the heart to pump out the normal amount of blood. If left untreated and if they occur often, they can decrease the heart muscle's ability to forcefully pump out blood at higher intensities. They can increase the risk of developing dangerous heart rhythms and should be monitored through stress testing which may warrant further investigation and studies. PVCs are often considered benign in normal healthy individuals but since the rigors of firefighting can place them in scenarios where the intensities of work can be high, extra caution should be taken when exercise induced PVC’s are recorded.

The image below illustrates the effects of PVC’s.

Monitoring Premature Ventricular Contractions

In the image, you can see how 1 PVC can affect multiple processes in the body.  

Ventricular electrical conduction is usually a symptom of something greater in the older patient population - cardiovascular disease.

Learn more here: Exercise-Induced Premature Ventricular Contractions Are Associated With Myocardial Ischemia Among Asymptomatic Adult Male Firefighters: Implications for Enhanced Risk Stratification

Written by Alex Jesko, Exercise Physiologist

You might also enjoy these articles

Front LIne Mobile Health Podcast on Psychological health for fire departmenrs

Psych Health and Safety Podcast From the Battlelines to the Front Line – with Russ Burnham

Testing Positive After A COVID-19 Infection

Testing Positive After A COVID-19 Infection

Post-COVID-19 Physicals For Public Safety Professionals

Post-COVID-19 Physicals For Public Safety Professionals

Filed Under: Heart Health

Footer

Contact

6517 N. Lakewood Drive
Georgetown, TX 78633
512.838.3808

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Our Approach
  • Services
  • About
  • COVID-19 Response
  • Resources
  • FAQ
  • Contact

Updates

Get our latest health tips and company updates direct to your inbox.

Copyright © 2016- Front Line Mobile Health All rights reserved. Privacy Policy |  Website design by Miss Details