1414
Table of Contents > Health Dictionary > Ventricular premature beats

Ventricular premature beats

An extra heartbeat caused by abnormal electrical activity that starts in the ventricles before a normal heartbeat occurs. This type of beat may not be as effective in pumping blood as a normal heartbeat. Because the PVB interferes with the heart’s normal rhythm and there is a pause before the next heartbeat, it may feel like a heartbeat is skipped.