The burden of premature ventricular contractions predicts adverse fetal and neonatal outcomes among pregnant women without structural heart disease: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

Background: Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) may increase during pregnancy, however, few studies have evaluated the relationship between PVCs and the pregnant outcomes. Hypothesis: PVCs may increase the adverse fetal/neonatal outcomes in pregnant women. Methods: Six thousand one hundred and forty-eight pregnant women were prospectively enrolled in our center between 2017 and 2019 in the study. The average PVC burden was determined by calculating the number of PVCs in total beats. Those who had a PVC burden >0.5% were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of adverse fetal or neonatal events. The adverse outcomes were compared between the groups to assess the impact of PVCs on pregnancy. Results: A total of 103 (1.68%) women with a PVC burden >0.5% were recorded. Among them, 17 adverse events (12 cases) were documented, which was significantly higher than that among women without PVCs (11.65% vs. 2.93%, p