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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Bundle branch block is a condition in which there's a delay or obstruction along the pathway that electrical impulses travel to make your heart beat. The delay or blockage may occur on the pathway that sends electrical impulses to the left or the right side of your heart.
Bundle branch block sometimes makes it harder for your heart to pump blood efficiently through your circulatory system.
There's no specific treatment for bundle branch block itself. However, any underlying health condition that caused bundle branch block, such as heart disease, will need to be treated. Sometimes, bundle branch block is associated with other problems in the heart's electrical system that can lead to dangerously slow heartbeats that need treatment with a temporary or permanent pacemaker.
- Conduction disorders. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Arrhythmia/AboutArrhythmia/Conduction-Disorders_UCM_302046_Article.jsp#.T1QonfUzDTo. Accessed March 2, 2012.
- Bundle branch and fascicular block. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec07/ch075/ch075i.html. Accessed March 2, 2012.
- Sauer WH. Right bundle branch block. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 2, 2012.
- Moya A, et al. Diagnosis, management, and outcomes of patients with syncope and bundle branch block. European Heart Journal. 2011;32:1535.
- Sauer WH. Left bundle branch block. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed March 2, 2012.
- Heart disease prevention: What you can do. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/what_you_can_do.htm. Accessed March 4, 2012.
- Grogan M (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 30, 2012.
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