Atrial Fibrillation and PVCs, How Do They Compare?
An A-Fib.com reader sent me an email asking about the difference between Atrial Fibrillation and PVCs. To start, PVC stands for Premature Ventricular Contraction.
What is a PVC?…
A Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC) is like an extra beat or a missed beat that comes from the lower part of your heart, the ventricles. Not to worry. We all get them occasionally.

EKG showing a PVC spike; (source: Wikipedia)
Surprisingly, PVCs can be a forecaster of A-Fib. In fact, PVCs can precede an episode or predict who will develop A-Fib.
…Compared to Atrial Fibrillation?
During A-Fib, the upper part of the heart, the atria, go crazy and start beating out of sync which causes the ventricles (the lower part) to beat irregularly.
(A-Fib is usually much more disturbing than an occasional PVC missed or early beat.)
However, if you have a lot of PVCs, they can be just as disturbing as A-Fib.
When are PVCs Dangerous?
If you experience 5+ PVCs per minute or 10-̵30 per hour, you probably should see your Electrophysiologist (EP).
In particular, PVCs can be dangerous if they amount to over 20% of your heart beats. This can weaken your heart muscle. The Mayo Clinic calls them “high density PVCs”.
Can Life-Threatening PVCs be Treated?
Yes, one treatment for excessive PVCs is a PVC ablation. During this ablation the PVCs are mapped and isolated in much the same way A-Fib signals are isolated during an A-Fib ablation.
If you are looking into an ablation for your PVCs, know that not as many EPs perform PVC ablation compared to A-Fib. (Ask your EP for referrals.)
For more about A-Fib with PVCs see, FAQs Coping with A-Fib: PVCs & PACs.