Ventricular premature beats and mortality of men with coronary heart disease.

Frequency and qualitative characteristics of ventricular premature beats (VPB) are determined from 1 hour of electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring of men with coronary heart disease in a continuing study among members of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York. Mortality among 924 such men during an average observation period of 10 months was higher among men with VPB than among those free of VPB. In comparison with the routine 12-lead ECG, the hour of ECG monitoring increased the proportion of men identified as showing ectopic activity from 15% to 52%. Only half of men with 10 or more VPB in the hour of monitoring were noted as having VPB on the routine ECG; mortality among these men was relatively high whether or not VPB appeared on the short sample ECG.