Bradycardia
The opposite of tachycardia, bradycardia is a very slow heart rate, often less than 60 beats per minute. It occurs when the sinoatrial node, your heart’s natural pacemaker, doesn’t create the signals for your heart to beat or doesn’t send the signals to the heart’s lower chambers. It is most often found in the elderly and can be related to heart disease or inherited or congenital defects.
Symptoms can include fatigue, lightheadedness or dizziness, fainting and shortness of breath.
Surgery
To correct Bradycardia, a pacemaker, which is the size of a matchbox, is inserted under the skin near the collarbone. The pacemaker will emit signals to the heart when it beats too slowly or stops beating. The electrical signals, which are sent through a wire from the pacemaker to the heart, stimulate the heart so it begins to beat normally again.
Heart Diseases
- Heart Arrhythmia
Affecting more than 2.2 million Americans.
- Vascular Disease
The primary cause of vascular disease is hardening of the arteries.
- Valve Disease
Your heart contains four valves that work in coordination.
- Heart Attack
A heart attack occurs when the blood flow to the heart becomes blocked.
- Heart Failure
Heart failure affects more than five million Americans.
- Women's Cardiovascular Disease
One out of three women in the U.S. die from cardiovascular disease.
