What is ventricular bigeminy?

What is ventricular bigeminy?

• A. A PVC following two normal cycles
• B. A PVC following every normal cycle
• C. A series of PVCs with no normal beats
• D. A normal cycle followed by a PVC

Answer: (B)

Ventricular bigeminy is characterized by the occurrence of a premature ventricular contraction (PVC) following every normal cardiac cycle. This means that for every normal heartbeat, there is a PVC, creating a repetitive pattern of normal and abnormal beats. The correct choice highlights this specific rhythm, demonstrating that it consists of alternating normal beats and PVCs, which can affect the overall heart rhythm and may require further evaluation depending on the clinical context.

The understanding of the other options revolves around different arrhythmias or patterns which involve PVCs, but they do not describe bigeminy accurately. For example, having a PVC after two normal cycles or in a series with no normal beats would indicate different types of patterns, such as trigeminy or a run of PVCs, respectively, neither of which reflects the definition of bigeminy. Thus, recognizing that bigeminy specifically means one PVC after every single normal beat is crucial in distinguishing it from other arrhythmias.