A heart block is a condition where the normal nerve impulses that cause the heart to contract are blocked or delayed. Yesterday my cardiologist told me that I have a complete block of my right bundle branch (RBBB).
In this condition, both atria contract normally, and then the signal progresses down towards the ventricles to cause them to contract. However, the signal that should go to the right ventricle stops before it gets there. The signal for the left ventricle continues and causes the left ventricle to contract normally. Fortunately, the contraction of the left ventricle then triggers the right ventricle to contract, and the heart functions relatively normally.
My cardiologist told me that when he last saw me 7 years ago, I had a partial block in the right ventricle (some signals were getting through) that has now progressed to complete. If I stay this way there will be no problem. My heart is quite healthy and strong otherwise, and I have none of the symptoms that would cause alarm such as fainting spells or shortness of breath. But the concern is that whatever caused the gradual degradation of the right ventricle bundle branch will also affect the left ventricle bundle branch, and that could be a real problem. In that case the ventricles wouldn’t be getting any kind of organized signal and wouldn’t function efficiently; in some cases it would quickly be fatal.
So I’m wearing a Holter Monitor for 24 hours to get a better picture of how well the left bundle branch is working. If it shows signs of degrading, I may be a candidate for a pacemaker. A pacemaker may be in my future anyway, but hopefully not for a few years.
It turns out that RBBB is pretty common in the elderly. One estimate said that 11% of people over 80 have a RBBB. About.com says that “RBBB is itself a benign condition that requires no treatment“, and the Mayo Clinic says that “Most people with bundle branch block are symptom-free and don’t need treatment“.
So my main concern is that whatever caused the progression from partial to complete block in 7 years isn’t also working on the left bundle branch. I should know more after the Holter results are evaluated.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Donna // Jun 27, 2014 at 5:09 pm
Sounds like you have a broken heart. What are possible causes of this? Hope they diagnose it and it continues to be limited to one side. Let us know.
2 Les // Jun 27, 2014 at 5:41 pm
As someone who use all available technology I expect you be fine for a long long time. Thanks for the explanation. I first read “heart attack” and mine jumped.
3 Richard // Jun 27, 2014 at 5:52 pm
How did you get to be 80 before I did?
This getting older is for the birds. Fortunately modern medicine is able to find and fix things before they become big problems.
Why were you seeing a cardiologist anyway, 7 years ago or now? Did you have some symptoms or just for routine checkups?
4 Daryl // Jun 27, 2014 at 6:49 pm
I don’t know what caused it. I have read that rheumatic fever can cause it, but I had that at 5 years old, and I don’t know if it could still have an effect.
I first started seeing a cardiologist for an arrhythmia and bradycardia (slow heart rate). Neither was serious, but he advised monitoring over the years. I guess it was a good idea.
My heart rate is sometimes down in the high 40s, though usually resting rate is mid-50s. Anything below 60 is considered abnormal unless you are a marathoner. It could be related to this heart block.
Maybe I could blue-tooth link a pacemaker with my smart phone, and get my heart beating to a musical rhythm …
5 Mom // Jun 27, 2014 at 8:02 pm
Your Dad had a very slow pulse, often in the low 40s. In those days, there was little, if anything, to do for it. We knew that it was slow, but it kept beating until he was 82 years old.
Leave a Comment