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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffComplications of untreated bradycardia vary depending on how slow the heart rate is, where the electrical conduction problem occurs and what kind of damage may be present in heart tissue. If bradycardia is significant enough to cause symptoms, possible complications of the slow heart rate may include:
- Frequent fainting spells
- Inability of the heart to pump enough blood (heart failure)
- Sudden cardiac arrest or sudden death
References
- Arrhythmia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/arr/arr_all.html. Accessed Feb. 12, 2011.
- Ganz LI. Sinus bradycardia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 12, 2011.
- Vijayaraman P, et al. Bradyarrhythmias and pacemakers. In: Fuster V, et al. Hurst's The Heart. 12th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3051085. Accessed Feb. 11, 2011.
- Tomaselli GF. The bradyarrhythmias. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2874424. Accessed Feb. 11, 2011.
- Bradycardia. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Arrhythmia/TypesofArrhythmias/Bradycardia_UCM_302016_Article.jsp. Accessed Feb. 15, 2011.
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