Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • What's Your Diagnosis
  • Published:

Diagnosis | Idiopathic paroxysmal ventricular bigeminy and premature ventricular complexes

Lab Animal volume 37, pages 300–301 (2008)Cite this article

The regular arrhythmia occurring at the beginning of the electrocardiogram was identified as ventricular bigeminy. Single ventricular premature complexes (VPCs), as well as pairs and triplets of VPCs, were observed in the initial and follow-up ECG.

VPCs (also called ventricular premature contractions, ventricular premature depolarizations or ventricular premature beats) are impulses arising from ventricular ectopic foci. They are characterized by premature, wider-than-normal, bizarre QRS-T complexes, often of large amplitude with the T wave directed opposite the QRS. There is no associated P wave, although an independent normal P wave may precede, be within or follow the VPC. Prematurity of an ectopy is determined by the intrinsic escape rhythm of the ectopic focus. For ventricular ectopy, an instantaneous rate of >40–50 beats per minute would be considered 'premature'. For a VPC to become evident, however, it must precede the next sinus complex; otherwise, sinus depolarization would suppress it2,3.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 2: An ECG obtained from a beagle dog 21 days later, showing six rhythm strips simultaneously (leads I, II, III, aVR, aVL and aVF).

References

  1. Robinson, W.F. & Grant Maxie, M. in Pathology of Domestic Animals 4th edn. (eds. Jubb, K.V.F., Kennedy, P.C. & Palmer, N.) 1–100 (Academic, San Diego, CA, 1993).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Kittleson, M.D. in Small Animal Cardiovascular Medicine (eds. Kittleson, M.D. & Kienle, R.D.) 449–494 (Mosby, St. Louis, 1998).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Tilley, L.P. (ed) in Essentials of Canine and Feline Electrocardiography: Interpretation and Treatment 3rd edn. 127–207 (Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Langendorf, R., Pick, A. & Wintermitz, M. Mechanisms of intermittent ventricular bigeminy. I. Appearance of ectopic beats dependent upon length of the ventricular cycle, the “rule of bigeminy”. Circulation 11, 422–430 (1955).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Oreto, G., Luzza, F., Satullo, G., Coglitore, S. & Schamroth, L. Intermittent ventricular bigeminy as an expression of modulated parasystole. Am. J. Cardiol. 55, 1634–1637 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Jalife, J. & Moe, G.K. A biologic model of parasystole. Am. J. Cardiol. 43, 761–772 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Muir, W.W. Effects of atropine on cardiac rate and rhythm in dogs. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 172, 917–921 (1978).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Muir, W.W. & Mason, D. in Lumb and Jones' Veterinary Anesthesia 3rd edn. (eds. Thurmon, J.C., Tranquilli, W.J. & Benson, G.J.) 62–114 (Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, MD, 1996).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Muir, W.W. Thiobarbiturate-induced dysrhythmias: the role of heart rate and autonomic imbalance. Am. J. Vet. Res. 38, 1377–1381 (1977).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Buhl, K., Kersten, U., Kramer. S., Mischke, R., Fedrowitz, M. & Nolte, I. Incidence of post-anaesthetic arrhythmias in dogs. J. Small Anim. Pract. 46, 131–138 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Bednarski, R.M. & Muir, W.W. Arrhythmogenicity of dopamine, dobutamine, and epinephrine in thiamylal-halothane anesthetized dogs. Am. J. Vet. Res. 44, 2341–2343 (1983).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Ulloa, H.M., Houston, B.J. & Altrogge, D.M. Arrhythmia prevalence during ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring of beagles. Am. J. Vet. Res. 56, 275–281 (1995).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Zipes, D.P. & Miyazaki, T. in Cardiac Electrophysiology (eds. Zipes, D.P. & Jalife, J.) 325–328 (W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Liang, B., Verrier, R.L., Melman, J. & Lown, B. Correlation between circulating catecholamine levels and ventricular vulnerability during psychological stress in conscious dogs. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 161, 266–269 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Skinner, J.E. Regulation of cardiac vulnerability by the cerebral defense system. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 5, 88B–94B (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Sgoifo, A. et al. Incidence of arrhythmias and heart rate variability in wild-type rats exposed to social stress. Am. J. Physiol. 273, H1754–1760 (1997).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Bornscheuer, A., Mahr, K.H., Batel, C., Goldmann, R., Gnielinski, M. & Kirchner, E. Cardiopulmonary effects of lying position in anesthetized and mechanically ventilated dogs. J. Exp. Anim. Sci. 38, 20–27 (1996).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Laste, N. Cardiovascular pharmacotherapy. Vet. Clin. North. Am. Small Anim. Pract. 31, 1231–1252 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Moyser, K., Schofield, J., Simpson, D. & Hunter, D. Benefits and limitations of an external telemetry system on canine toxicity studies. Anim. Technol. Welfare 3, 51–52 (2004).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Gracie, K., Salmond, R., Wu, R. & Oshodi, T. Non-invasive versus invasive dog telemetry. Abstracts of the 7th Annual Meeting of the Safety Pharmacology Society 71 (Safety Pharmacology Society, Reston, VA, 2007).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. David Ledieu, Dr. Julie Boisclair and Dr. Emmanuelle Balme, as well as the technical staff for their contributions and support.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Diagnosis | Idiopathic paroxysmal ventricular bigeminy and premature ventricular complexes. Lab Anim 37, 300–301 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0708-300

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0708-300

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing