Retrospective evaluation of patients diagnosed with ventricular extrasystole in a Pediatric Cardiology Outpatient Clinic

This study aimed to investigate patients aged 0–18 years who were diagnosed with Ventricular Extrasystole (VES), with the goal of identifying possible contributing factors and determining key considerations in the management and follow-up of the condition. The study was conducted retrospectively by analyzing the data of patients diagnosed with VES who were admitted to the Pediatric Cardiology Outpatient Clinic of Samsun Training and Research Hospital. Patient information including age, gender, presenting complaints, and results of electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography (ECHO), Holter monitoring (HM), and exercise stress tests were examined. Data were collected using the hospital information management system. For data analysis, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics version 25, IBM Corporation, USA) was used. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant, and findings were interpreted accordingly. In our study, a statistically significant relationship was found between gender and the presence of abnormal findings on echocardiographic examination. However, no statistically significant relationship was found between gender and ECG or HM findings, nor between age and ECG, ECHO, or HM findings. A statistically significant correlation was identified between initial ECG findings and HM results. No statistically significant relationship was found between HM findings and variables such as age, gender, presenting complaint, history of surgery, or ECG and ECHO findings. In conclusion, VES is a common and generally benign arrhythmia in childhood. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and identification of risk factors and accompanying clinical findings are essential for planning an effective follow-up process. As VES in children is often asymptomatic and transient, its detection may be challenging. In this context, Holter monitoring, a non-invasive and easily applicable method, stands out as an important tool in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of VES. Our study supports the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach in managing VES and highlights the clinical value of Holter monitoring in this process. Keywords: Pediatric Cardiology, Ventricular Extrasystole (VES), Holter Monitoring