Zenodo · Jul 4, 2026
Premature Ventricular Contractions as a Functional Premorbid Signal: Accelerated Cardiac Aging and the Ko-Function Model in Oriental Medicine Neurodynamics (OMN™)
By Ishihara S
Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are among the most common cardiac arrhythmias encountered in clinical practice. In the absence of structural heart disease, they are routinely characterised as benign and clinically insignificant. This paper challenges that characterisation from the perspective of Oriental Medicine Neurodynamics (OMN™), a clinical model grounded in over thirty years of independent practice in Kyoto, Japan. The central argument is that PVCs, even in the absence of structural abnormality, represent a functionally meaningful premorbid signal: a measurable disruption in what OMN™ terms the Ko-function — the consolidating, rhythm-sustaining capacity of the Heart — that, when left unaddressed, accelerates the natural trajectory of cardiac aging beyond its age-appropriate rate. The OMN™ model proposes that cardiac rhythm is generated by Wood Qi (the body’s contractile force) and governed by the Heart’s Ko-function (its homeostatic control capacity). A PVC is not electrical noise; it is evidence that the governing function has begun to waver. This paper argues that the current clinical standard — “no structural abnormality, therefore no concern” — systematically misses this functional signal, and that identifying and removing the causative factors at the PVC stage may represent a significant and underutilised opportunity for preventing the accelerated progression to heart failure and major cardiac events. This paper does not present clinical trial data; it offers a conceptual framework intended to generate testable hypotheses for future investigation. Keywords: premature ventricular contractions, PVC, cardiac aging, Ko-function, Wood Qi, Heart Qi, premorbid signal, Oriental Medicine Neurodynamics, heart failure prevention, functional cardiology