An 82-year-old male with frequent premature ventricular contractions showed a reduction in ectopic premature beats from 47,730 to 844 within 24 hours after 3 treatment courses of Chaihu Sanshen Capsule, correlated with significant symptomatic relief.
Key Findings
Results
Treatment with Chaihu Sanshen Capsule (CHSSC) was associated with a dramatic reduction in PVC burden as measured by 24-hour Holter monitoring.
Ectopic premature beats decreased from 47,730 to 844 within 24 hours after 3 treatment courses of CHSSC.
This represents a reduction of approximately 98.2% in the number of premature beats recorded over 24 hours.
Diagnosis and monitoring were performed using 24-hour Holter monitoring.
The patient began treatment on November 4, 2024, at The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine.
Results
The objective reduction in PVC burden was accompanied by significant subjective symptomatic improvement.
The patient reported a pronounced reduction in palpitations following CHSSC treatment.
The patient also experienced easing of chest tightness after treatment.
The patient's presenting symptoms included chest pain and palpitations.
Background
The patient was an elderly male with multiple cardiovascular comorbidities who presented with frequent PVCs.
The patient was 82 years old at the time of treatment.
He had a history of mitral stenosis and had previously undergone surgical mitral valve replacement.
He was diagnosed with frequent PVCs based on 24-hour Holter monitoring findings.
PVC is described as 'one of the most common kinds of arrhythmias for which the treatment poses a therapeutic dilemma.'
Conclusions
The authors generated a hypothesis that CHSSC may be associated with reduced PVC burden in elderly patients, while acknowledging the preliminary nature of the single-case observation.
The authors state this is described as 'a rare case of an elderly patient with PVC who showed significant improvement after receiving Traditional Chinese medicine treatment.'
The authors explicitly note that 'these preliminary findings warrant further investigation through larger prospective studies to establish conclusive evidence.'
Traditional Chinese medicine is noted to have 'a long history in arrhythmia treatment.'
No control condition, randomization, or blinding was employed, as this is a single case report.
What This Means
This case report describes an 82-year-old man with a history of mitral valve disease who developed a common type of irregular heartbeat called premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), which caused chest pain and palpitations. He was found to have nearly 48,000 abnormal heartbeats in a single 24-hour period, as detected by a wearable heart monitor. His doctors at a Chinese medicine hospital treated him with a Traditional Chinese Medicine preparation called Chaihu Sanshen Capsule (CHSSC) for three treatment courses, after which his abnormal heartbeat count dropped to 844 over 24 hours — a reduction of about 98% — and his symptoms of chest tightness and palpitations improved substantially.
This research suggests that CHSSC might have the potential to reduce the frequency of PVCs and relieve associated symptoms in elderly patients, including those with pre-existing heart conditions. The authors note that Traditional Chinese Medicine has a long history of use in treating heart rhythm problems, and this case adds a specific, measurable example of apparent benefit.
However, this is a single case report involving just one patient with no comparison group, placebo, or blinding, which means it is not possible to establish from this evidence alone whether CHSSC caused the improvement or whether other factors were responsible. The authors themselves emphasize that larger, well-designed prospective studies are needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of this treatment for PVCs.
He T, Zhang Z, Liu J. (2026). Clinical improvement of premature ventricular contraction in an elderly patient treated with Chaihu Sanshen Capsule: A case report.. Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000050641