Heart Block Treatments

Heart block, also known as atrioventricular block, is a syndrome in which the heart's internal electrical signals are abnormally slowed. The condition can be inherited, but in most cases it is the result of acquired damage to the heart. Depending on its severity, the effects of heart block range from minor irregularities to risk of full cardiac arrest. When properly diagnosed, it is treatable through medication or surgical intervention.

Heart Block and Heartbeat

• Your heartbeat is maintained by a tiny group of specialized cells in the upper heart called the sinus node. Under normal conditions, this node sends electrical impulses to the lower heart through a second group of special cells called the atrioventricular node. When this pathway is disrupted, the result is slowed or irregular communication within the heart. Heart block is the aftermath of this failed or partial communication.

Symptoms

• There are four recognized degrees or stages of heart block, with possible symptoms including chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, dizziness and lightheadedness. However, depending on the severity of your particular case, you may not experience any symptoms at all.

Treating the Four Stages of Heart Block

• In first-degree heart block, signals between the upper and lower heart are somewhat slowed, but eventually all impulses are received. The variance in signal strength is so small that overall heartbeat is well-maintained, and the condition typically manifests no symptoms or health difficulties. Treatment is generally not necessary, although there is sometimes an accompanying electrolyte imbalance that should be corrected.

  Type 1 second-degree heart block results in an increased slowing of electrical communication that eventually causes the heart to "drop" full beats. Occasionally, the condition is found in otherwise healthy people while they are asleep. Noticeable symptoms, including dizziness, can begin to appear at this stage. In some patients, overall heartbeat starts to slow. If this is the case in your situation, your doctor may prescribe atropine or other drugs to regulate your heart's rhythm.

  Type 2 second-degree heart block is a further elevation of electrical difficulties, in which some of the signals from the upper heart fail to reach the lower heart at all. This situation can be the beginning of life-threatening complications, and a physician's care is vital. Typically, your doctor will administer atropine or other heartbeat regulators and begin to make plans for the implantation of a permanent pacemaker. If he sees the potential for rapid development of greater difficulties, he may also equip you with a temporary pacemaker to stabilize your heartbeat.

  Third-degree heart block is generally the result of drug toxicity or heart disease. It is marked by full blockage of the signals between the upper and lower heart. When this occurs, the lower heart will attempt to regulate its own rhythm, but it is incapable of doing the job efficiently enough to ensure your survival. Third-degree block can potentially end in full cardiac arrest and death, and it is treated as a medical emergency. If you have the condition, your doctor will almost certainly move to implant a pacemaker as soon as possible. If your case is severe enough, he will use a temporary pacemaker to stabilize you until surgery can be performed.