 | Joseph P. Galichia, MD is the founder and Medical Director of the Galichia Medical Group, PA. He is an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of interventional cardiology. In the 70's, Dr. Galichia studied in Zurich, Switzerland with the inventors of the balloon angioplasty technique for treating heart disease. As a result of his experience, he was able to bring this historic technique back to the United States where he was one of the first physicians to perform coronary angioplasty here. A noted medical spokesman, he appears on a weekly Newstalk segment on KWCH Channel 12 and has a weekly syndicated radio talk show on KNSS 1330 AM every Saturday live from 11:00 am to noon. Dr. Galichia may be contacted by sending an e-mail to service@galichia.com |
Health & Medicine
2002-07-01 12:22:00
What is bradycardia?
Question: What is bradycardia or near bradycardia? What are the symptoms? How does it differ from other heart conditions?
Answer: Bradycardia is defined as a slow heart rate. When the heart rate falls below 45 in most adults, we are concerned that the rate may be too slow to effect a normal heart output. There are exceptions to this standard in that well trained athletes and some other individuals may function well at rates of between 40 to 50, or even slower. For most older adults, rates below 40 to 45 often result in lightheadedness, weakness, fatigue or even passing out. For these individuals, pacemakers are extremely effective in establishing a higher rate, often in the high 60's or low 70's. This usual results in a dramatic turnaround in symptoms and a feeling of well being for the patient. Near bradycardia is a term that may be used to define the group of patients who may have a worrisome slow rate in the absence of any symptoms. More recently, pacemakers have been found to help not only patients with slow rates, but also patients with heart failure. Newer pacers may come with automatic defibrillators to shock the into a normal rhythm if too rapid a rate develops. These newer pacemakers then can pace the heart when it is too slow, shock the patient if sudden death occurs due to a rapid ineffective beat, or simply pace the heart to beat more synchronously if it is failing. Interestingly, what is a normal rate for one individual may be a life threatening rate for another. The specialty of cardiology has a special group of individuals trained to handle these disorders called electro physiology. This area is one of the most rapidly growing areas of science today and the technology is proceeding at a very rapid pace.
