Bradycardia: Controlling a slow heart rate

Irregular heart rhythm. It’s a common cardiac condition, but most people with this problem experience a heart beating too fast. A less common type of arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) is known as bradycardia. This condition happens when the heart rate is too slow. Bradycardia is a heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute. It can be caused by various problems, including problems with the heart's sinus node, which acts as a kind of natural pacemaker.

It may also be caused by problems in the conduction pathways of the heart. This means that electrical impulses are not being conducted from the atria to the ventricles, so the heart’s regular rhythm is disrupted. Other causes include metabolic problems such as hypothermia, or damage from a heart attack or heart disease.

How can you tell if you might be experiencing bradycardia?

A heart rhythm that’s too slow means not enough blood is flowing to the brain. This could cause symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting or near-fainting spells. In extreme cases it could lead to a heart attack.

If left untreated, prolonged bradycardia can cause heart failure, loss of consciousness, angina pectoris (chest pain), and possibly high blood pressure.

Treatment:

Controlling bradycardia may depend on your age and physical condition. Slow heart rate does not always indicate a problem. For example, some athletes or physically active adults often have a resting heart rate that’s slower than 60 beats per minute. It doesn’t cause problems for them.

Also, a person’s heart rate may fall below 60 bpm during a deep sleep and sometimes elderly people may have a slower heart rate. That’s okay.

If you have prolonged or repeated symptoms of bradycardia, however, your doctor may suggest an adjustment in certain medications. The most common way to correct the problem is to implant an artificial pacemaker, which will help to speed up a person’s heart rhythm as needed.

In Macomb County, McLaren Macomb is the only hospital to offer advanced treatment and an electrophysiology lab to help diagnose irregular heartbeat conditions. The hospital’s new Heart Rhythm Treatment Center is led by Dr. Luis Pires, a board-certified and fellowship-trained cardiac electrophysiologist.

Contact the Heart Rhythm Treatment Center at (586) 466-4810.  Or, call (855) 466-2527 to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced cardiologists at McLaren Macomb’s Mat Gaberty Heart Center.

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