Premature atrial contractions usually don’t need treatment. They start in your heart’s upper chambers and can give you the feeling of an extra or skipped heartbeat. You should contact your provider if your premature atrial contractions start happening more often.
Premature atrial contractions (PACs) are extra heartbeats that start in the upper chambers of your heart. When the premature, or early, signal tells the heart to contract, there may not be much blood in the heart at that moment. That means there’s not much blood to pump out. A pause and a strong beat may follow the extra heartbeat, making it feel like a skipped beat.
A premature atrial contraction can feel like an extra beat when there’s more blood in the heart to pump than there is with a skipped beat.
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Anyone can get premature atrial contractions (also known as premature atrial complexes), but they are more likely to happen frequently in people who:
Premature atrial contractions are very common in adults but rare in children born without heart problems.
You may not have any symptoms. If you do, your symptoms may include heartbeats that:
You may also have anxiety or shortness of breath.
If your premature atrial contractions happen often, your provider will look for a cause. However, the cause is sometimes unknown.
Causes may include:
Causes you have some ability to manage include:
Usually your blood pressure is normal with premature atrial contractions, so sometimes it’s possible for a physician to miss premature atrial contractions during a physical exam.
If you're experiencing premature atrial contractions, your provider may want to order:
Most of the time, you don’t need treatment for premature atrial contractions unless your symptoms are bad or happen regularly. Your provider can treat the cause if they find one.
Yes, premature atrial contractions usually go away without treatment.
Your provider may treat your premature atrial contractions with:
Any medicine can have side effects. Talk to your provider if your side effects don’t get better. Like any invasive procedure, catheter ablation carries risks, but providers generally consider it a low-risk procedure.
You may be able to have fewer premature atrial contractions if you:
Some risk factors, like aging, can’t be changed. However, you can:
Some things you can do to prevent premature atrial contractions include:
In most cases, treatment is not needed and the outlook is good. If you’re having premature atrial contractions often, you may be at risk of getting atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation.
Your outlook depends on what’s causing your premature atrial contractions. Your provider will look at the conditions you already have when considering your prognosis. For example, your situation is more serious if you have problems with your heart’s structure.
Usually, premature atrial contractions will go away by themselves. Pay attention to whether the number of premature atrial contractions you’re having goes up.
You should make an appointment if your symptoms continue or get worse.
No. Atrial fibrillation is a more serious heart rhythm disturbance with an irregular heartbeat.
No. Premature atrial contractions in pregnancy are common. They normally stop by themselves and do not need treatment.
They start in different parts of your heart. Premature atrial contractions start in your atria. Premature ventricular contractions start in your ventricles.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Premature atrial contractions are usually not a cause for concern. But you should check in with your provider if the number of premature atrial contractions you have increases. Because premature atrial contractions can predict more dangerous heart conditions, be sure to go to all of your regular checkups with your provider.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 07/27/2021.
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