Premature ventricular contraction differential diagnosis

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Mugilan Poongkunran M.B.B.S [2] Homa Najafi, M.D.[3]

Overview

A premature ventricular contraction originates in the ventricle, and this must be differentiated from an impulse that originates above the ventricle (i.e. it is supraventricular in origin) and conducts with a delay (i.e. a wide complex, it is aberrantly conducted).

Differentiating Premature Ventricular Contraction from other Diseases

Supraventricular Origin of an Impulse with Aberrant Conduction

Aberrant ventricular conduction is:

  • A transient form of abnormal intraventricular conduction delay (#IVCD) and occurs when there is unequal refractoriness of the two bundles.
  • The right bundle has a longer action potential duration, and is more vulnerable to conduction delay or failure.
  • The refractory period is affected by the preceding cycle length.
  • The refractory period is longer when there is a long preceding RR interval.
  • Aberrant ventricular conduction is favored when a premature supraventricular impulse comes after a long preceding RR interval (Ashman phenomenon).
  • If the underlying rhythm is sinus in origin, and if the abnormal QRS is preceded by a premature P wave, then the ectopic beat is likely to be supraventricular in origin.
  • The absence of a fully compensatory pause further supports this diagnosis.
  • If a retrograde P wave is identifiable after the QRS complex and the RP interval is less than 0.11 second, the premature beat is likely to have originated from the AV junction, since the RP interval is too short for VA conduction (unless an accessory pathway is present).
  • A long RP interval of 0.20 seconds or longer is suggestive but not diagnostic of a PVC, since the retrograde conduction time of a junctional beat is less likely to exceed this duration.
  • The beat is more likely to be due to aberrancy if the initial forces are similar to those of the sinus beat and if it has an RSR' configuration in lead V1.
  • If the QRS complexes in all the precordial leads are positive or all negative, then a PVC is more likely.
  • Diagnosis of PVCs in the presence of atrial fibrillation:
    • Absence of P waves and the irregularity of the rhythm are the handicaps
    • A constant coupling time is suggestive of PVCs
    • Ashman phenomenon. Keep in mind that a long cycle length also favors the precipitation of a PVC, therefore this sign is helpful but not diagnostic of aberrancy.
    • PVC is favored if the abnormal complex terminates a short-long cycle.

Overview

[Disease name] must be differentiated from other diseases that cause [clinical feature 1], [clinical feature 2], and [clinical feature 3], such as [differential dx1], [differential dx2], and [differential dx3].

OR

[Disease name] must be differentiated from [[differential dx1], [differential dx2], and [differential dx3].

Differentiating [Disease name] from other Diseases

[Disease name] must be differentiated from other diseases that cause [clinical feature 1], [clinical feature 2], and [clinical feature 3], such as [differential dx1], [differential dx2], and [differential dx3].

OR

[Disease name] must be differentiated from [differential dx1], [differential dx2], and [differential dx3].

OR

As [disease name] manifests in a variety of clinical forms, differentiation must be established in accordance with the particular subtype. [Subtype name 1] must be differentiated from other diseases that cause [clinical feature 1], such as [differential dx1] and [differential dx2]. In contrast, [subtype name 2] must be differentiated from other diseases that cause [clinical feature 2], such as [differential dx3] and [differential dx4].

Differentiating [disease name] from other diseases on the basis of [symptom 1], [symptom 2], and [symptom 3]

On the basis [symptom 1], [symptom 2], and [symptom 3], [disease name] must be differentiated from [disease 1], [disease 2], [disease 3], [disease 4], [disease 5], and [disease 6].

Diseases Clinical manifestations Para-clinical findings Gold standard Additional findings
Symptoms Physical examination
Lab Findings Imaging Histopathology
Symptom 1 Symptom 2 Symptom 3 Physical exam 1 Physical exam 2 Physical exam 3 Lab 1 Lab 2 Lab 3 Imaging 1 Imaging 2 Imaging 3
Differential Diagnosis 1
Differential Diagnosis 2
Differential Diagnosis 3
Diseases Symptom 1 Symptom 2 Symptom 3 Physical exam 1 Physical exam 2 Physical exam 3 Lab 1 Lab 2 Lab 3 Imaging 1 Imaging 2 Imaging 3 Histopathology Gold standard Additional findings
Differential Diagnosis 4
Differential Diagnosis 5
Differential Diagnosis 6



Arrhythmia Rhythm Rate P wave PR Interval QRS Complex Response to Maneuvers Epidemiology Co-existing Conditions
Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)[1][2]
  • Irregularly irregular
  • Absent
  • Fibrillatory waves
  • Absent
  • Less than 0.12 seconds, consistent, and normal in morphology in the absence of aberrant conduction
  • 2.7–6.1 million people in the United States have AFib
  • 2% of people younger than age 65 have AFib, while about 9% of people aged 65 years or older have AFib
Atrial Flutter[3]
  • Regular or Irregular
  • 75 (4:1 block), 100 (3:1 block) and 150 (2:1 block) beats per minute (bpm), but 150 is more common
  • Sawtooth pattern of P waves at 250 to 350 bpm
  • Biphasic deflection in V1
  • Varies depending upon the magnitude of the block, but is short
  • Less than 0.12 seconds, consistent, and normal in morphology
  • Conduction may vary in response to drugs and maneuvers dropping the rate from 150 to 100 or to 75 bpm
Atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT)[4][5][6][7]
  • Regular
  • 140-280 bpm
  • Slow-Fast AVNRT:
    • Pseudo-S wave in leads II, III, and AVF
    • Pseudo-R' in lead V1.
  • Fast-Slow AVNRT
  • Slow-Slow AVNRT
  • Inverted, superimposed on or buried within the QRS complex (pseudo R prime in V1/pseudo S wave in inferior leads)
  • Absent (P wave can appear after the QRS complex and before the T wave, and in atypical AVNRT, the P wave can appear just before the QRS complex)
  • Less than 0.12 seconds, consistent, and normal in morphology in the absence of aberrant conduction
  • QRS alternans may be present
Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia[8][9]
  • Irregular
  • Atrial rate is > 100 beats per minute
  • Varying morphology from at least three different foci
  • Absence of one dominant atrial pacemaker, can be mistaken for atrial fibrillation if the P waves are of low amplitude
  • Less than 0.12 seconds, consistent, and normal in morphology
Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia
  • Regular
  • 150 and 240 bpm
  • Absent
  • Hidden in QRS
  • Absent
  • Narrow complexes (< 0.12 s)
Premature Atrial Contractrions (PAC)[10][11]
  • Regular except when disturbed by premature beat(s)
  • 80-120 bpm
  • Upright
  • > 0.12 second
  • May be shorter than that in normal sinus rhythm (NSR) if the origin of PAC is located closer to the AV node
  • Ashman’s Phenomenon:
  • Usually narrow (< 0.12 s)
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome[12][13]
  • Regular
  • Atrial rate is nearly 300 bpm and ventricular rate is at 150 bpm
  • Less than 0.12 seconds
  • A delta wave and evidence of ventricular pre-excitation if there is conduction to the ventricle via ante-grade conduction down an accessory pathway
  • A delta wave and pre-excitation may not be present because bypass tracts do not conduct ante-grade.
Ventricular Fibrillation (VF)[14][15][16]
  • Irregular
  • 150 to 500 bpm
  • Absent
  • Absent
  • Absent (R on T phenomenon in the setting of ischemia)
Ventricular Tachycardia[17][18]
  • Regular
  • > 100 bpm (150-200 bpm common)
  • Absent

  • Absent
  • Initial R wave in V1, initial r > 40 ms in V1/V2, notched S in V1, initial R in aVR, lead II R wave peak time ≥50 ms, no RS in V1-V6, and atrioventricular dissociation
  • Wide complex, QRS duration > 120 milliseconds
  • 5-10% of patients presenting with AMI

The table below provides information on the differential diagnosis of ventricular tachycardia in terms of ECG appearance:

Disease Name Causes ECG Characteristics ECG view
Ventricular tachycardia [19][20][21][22][23]
[24]
Ventricular fibrillation [17][25][26][27]
[28]
Ventricular flutter [29][30][31]
[32]
Asystole [33][34]
  • There is no electrical activity in the asystole
[35]
Pulseless electrical activity [36][37]
[38]
Torsade de Pointes [39][40][41]
  1. Paroxysms of VT with irregular RR intervals.
  2. A ventricular rate between 200 and 250 beats per minute.
  3. Two or more cycles of QRS complexes with alternating polarity.
  4. Changing amplitude of the QRS complexes in each cycle in a sinusoidal fashion.
  5. Prolongation of the QT interval.
  6. Is often initiated by a PVC with a long coupling interval, R on T phenomenon.
  7. There are usually 5 to 20 complexes in each cycle.
[42]

References

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  5. Letsas KP, Weber R, Siklody CH, Mihas CC, Stockinger J, Blum T, Kalusche D, Arentz T (April 2010). "Electrocardiographic differentiation of common type atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia from atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia via a concealed accessory pathway". Acta Cardiol. 65 (2): 171–6. doi:10.2143/AC.65.2.2047050. PMID 20458824.
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