Bundle branch block
Find out why Mayo Clinic is the right place for your health care. Make an appointment..
Find a directory of doctors and departments at all Mayo Clinic campuses. Visit now..
See how Mayo Clinic research and clinical trials advance the science of medicine and improve patient care. Explore now..
Educators at Mayo Clinic train tomorrow’s leaders to deliver compassionate, high-value, safe patient care. Choose a degree..
Explore Mayo Clinic’s many resources and see jobs available for medical professionals. Get updates..
Your support accelerates powerful innovations in patient care, research and education. Give today..
Electrical impulses that cause your heart to beat (contract) originate in the upper right chamber (right atrium) of the heart and travel to the lower chambers (ventricles). In bundle branch block, the pathway that these impulses travel on is delayed or blocked. The pathway includes a bundle with two branches — the left and right bundles. If one of these is damaged, it can make it harder for your heart to beat normally, as your ventricles don’t beat in coordination with each other.
Bundle branch block is a condition in which there’s a delay or blockage along the pathway that electrical impulses travel to make your heart beat. It sometimes makes it harder for your heart to pump blood efficiently through your body.
The delay or blockage can occur on the pathway that sends electrical impulses either to the left or the right side of the bottom chambers (ventricles) of your heart.
Bundle branch block might not need treatment. When it does, treatment involves managing the health condition, such as heart disease, that caused bundle branch block.
In most people, bundle branch block doesn’t cause symptoms. Some people with the condition don’t know they have a bundle branch block.
Signs and symptoms in people who have them might include:
If you’ve fainted, see your doctor to rule out serious causes.
If you have heart disease, or if your doctor has already diagnosed you as having bundle branch block, ask your doctor how often you should have follow-up visits. You might want to carry a medical alert card that identifies you as having bundle branch block in case a doctor who isn’t familiar with your medical history sees you in an emergency.
Normally, electrical impulses within your heart’s muscle signal it to beat (contract). These impulses travel along a pathway, including the right and the left bundles. If one or both of these branch bundles become damaged — due to a heart attack, for example — this can block the electrical impulses and cause your heart to beat abnormally.
The cause for bundle branch blocks can differ depending on whether the left or right bundle branch is affected. It’s also possible that this condition can occur without a known cause.
Causes can include:
Risk factors for bundle branch block include:
The main complication of bundle branch block, right or left, is to progress to a complete block of the electric conduction from the upper chambers of the heart to the lower. This can slow your heart rate, which can cause fainting and lead to serious complications and abnormal heart rhythms.
People who have a heart attack and develop a left bundle branch block have a higher chance of complications, including sudden cardiac death, than do people who don’t develop the condition after a heart attack.
Because bundle branch block affects the electrical activity of your heart, it can sometimes complicate the accurate diagnosis of other heart conditions, especially heart attacks, and lead to delays in proper management of those problems.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic.
Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below.
A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. “Mayo,” “Mayo Clinic,” “MayoClinic.org,” “Mayo Clinic Healthy Living,” and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.
Bundle branch block
Research & References of Bundle branch block|A&C Accounting And Tax Services
Source
0 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks