SynthesisHeart (British Cardiac Society)2025
Frequent premature ventricular complexes and risk of atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke and mortality: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Heart (British Cardiac Society), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- From Minor Monitoring to Major Insight: Predicting AF Development in the Congenital Heart Disease Population.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2026Article
- Long-term survival in patients with premature ventricular complexes and no structural heart disease.Open heart · 2026Observational
- Predictors of life-threatening events in adult patients with left ventricular noncompaction.World journal of cardiology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
aimFrequent premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) have historically been regarded as benign in structurally normal hearts, yet emerging evidence suggests substantial cardiovascular risk. This meta-analysis aimed to quantify associations between frequent PVCs and incident atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke and all-cause mortality in adults without established cardiovascular disease.
methodsPubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science and Scopus were searched through February 2025. Databases were searched from inception to February 2025. Eligible studies employed standardised PVC assessment methods with a minimum 12-month follow-up reporting adjusted effect estimates. Data were independently extracted and quality was assessed (Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions) by two reviewers. Random-effects meta-analyses yielded pooled HRs with 95% CIs and prediction intervals (PI). Study-level meta-regression was used to evaluate dose-response relationships, and heterogeneity sources were explored via further meta-regression. OUTCOMES: 20 articles (17 studies; 26 783 590 participants) were analysed. Frequent PVCs were significantly associated with increased risks of atrial fibrillation (HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.39 to 2.05; PI 0.91-3.12), heart failure (HR 1.73, 95% CI 1.50 to 2.00; PI 1.18-2.54), stroke (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.50; PI 0.90-1.82) and all-cause mortality (HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.56; PI 0.79-2.18). Heterogeneity was substantially reduced in sensitivity analyses restricted to Holter-quantified PVCs. Meta-regression identified a 5.4% increased atrial fibrillation risk per 1% increment in PVC burden.
conclusionFrequent PVCs confer significantly increased cardiovascular risks in populations largely without overt structural heart disease, though baseline cardiac assessment varied across studies. Patients with frequent PVCs (≥500/day) may benefit from periodic echocardiography and rhythm monitoring to detect early structural or arrhythmic progression. Randomised trials are needed to determine if PVC burden-guided interventions can reduce cardiovascular risk. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD420251006111.
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