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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffIn most people, bundle branch block doesn't cause any symptoms. Sometimes, even people who are born with the condition can have a bundle branch block for years without knowing it.
For those people who do have signs and symptoms, they may include:
- Fainting (syncope)
- Feeling as if you're going to faint (presyncope)
- Having a slow heart rate (bradycardia)
When to see a doctor
If you've fainted, see your doctor to rule out any serious, underlying causes.
If you have heart disease, or if your doctor has already diagnosed you as having bundle branch block, ask your doctor how often you should have follow-up visits. You might want to carry a medical alert card that identifies you as having bundle branch block in case you're seen in an emergency by a doctor who isn't familiar with your medical history.
- Bundle branch block. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/print_presenter.jhtml?identifier=990. Accessed Jan. 12, 2010.
- 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 Jan. 10, 2010.
- Francia P, et al. Left bundle-branch block — Pathophysiology, prognosis and clinical management. Clinical Cardiology. 2007;30:110.
- ACC/AHA 2008 guidelines for device-based therapy of cardiac rhythm abnormalities: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the ACC/AHA/NASPE 2002 Guideline Update for Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices) developed in collaboration with the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2008;51:e1.
- Goldberger AL, et al. Electrocardiography. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2871872. Accessed Jan. 10, 2010.
- Horton CL, et al. Right bundle-branch block in acute coronary syndrome: Diagnostic and therapeutic implications for the emergency physician. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2009;27:1130.
- Wong CK, et al. Prognostic differences between different types of bundle branch block during the early phase of acute myocardial infarction: Insights from the Hirulog and Early Reperfusion or Occlusion (HERO)-2 trial. European Heart Journal. 2006;27:21.
- ABC's of preventing heart disease, stroke and heart attack. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/print_presenter.jhtml?identifier=3035374. Accessed Jan. 12, 2010.
- Grogan M (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 25, 2010.
- Arnsdorf MF. Overview of left bundle branch block. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 13, 2010.
- Arnsdorf MF. Overview of right bundle branch block. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 13, 2010.
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