The Difficulty Of Diagnosing Bradycardia

Bradycardia is a condition in which a person’s heart rate is too slow. Many factors affect what exactly qualifies as too slow, including age and physique, but the standard for most adults is less than 60 beats per minute (BPM) being regarded as slow. However, for many adults and athletes, these numbers are seen without any accompanying systems or problems. In fact, a slow heart rate in some cases can actually be a sign of great health. It is important that if there is any doubt a cardiologist is contacted in order to get a more reliable diagnosis.

When a slow heart rate is not just a sign of good health, it results in common symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, and lightheadedness. It can also lead to fainting spells or in even extremely rare cases, cardiac arrest. These symptoms are all caused by an inadequate blood flow to the brain, and if left untreated they can progress to more serious conditions including heart failure, syncope, angina pectoris, and high blood pressure.

The causes of this condition vary, but the most common initial problem is damage from conditions such as heart attacks or heart disease. Metabolic issues like hypothermia can also have an impact, along with problems with the heart’s conduction pathways or sinoatrial (SA) node. Problems with the heart’s electrical system or SA node will directly disrupt the heart’s rhythm, which can be life threatening if not handled appropriately.

These cases are most often found in elderly patients, as men and women over the age of 65 are the most prone to having issues with their heart’s electrical system. This is backed up with statistical analysis of a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics, which also found that bradycardia is more common in men than women (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr041.pdf). In fact, 15.2% of male patients had clinically defined bradycardia, while only 6.9% of women had the same condition.

However, in addition to low heart rates not always being a problem, part of the issue with properly diagnosing the condition is that it may come and go. The only way to reliably confirm the condition is to get an electrocardiogram (EKG) while the lowered heart rate is still present.

In stable cases, the first step is often to simply ensure that medication is not interfering with one’s heart, as heart medication ranging from high blood pressure to beta-blockers may need to be adjusted. If this is found to be the case, a cardiologist can recommend changes in dosage or usage to alleviate the problem. If this is not the case, it is uncommon for the condition to be permanent, but if symptoms become prolonged or repeated without any underlying cause, an artificial pacemaker may be used to correct the heart rhythm.

For unstable cases where immediate action is necessary, supplemental oxygen can be used to compensate for potentially low oxygen saturation caused by the condition. Intravenous atropine can also be used to temporarily for a rapid reversal of the problem, but dosage precision is extremely important in order to be effective. If you are based in Phoenix, you should visit the following website – Cardiologists In Phoenix.