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Location: Baltimore and Ocean City, Maryland

Monday, February 06, 2006

LBBB on my ECG

My Sleep Study included and overnight electrocardiogram (ECG). The ECG revealed an intermittent electrical irregularity in my heart called a Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB). Here's some information from the Mayo Clinic:


Electrical impulses that cause your heart to beat (contract) originate in the upper-right chamber of the heart (right atrium). They travel to the lower chambers of the heart (right and left ventricles) through a bundle of fibers that divide into right and left branches. Normally, the electrical impulses move through both branches at the same speed. But if a block exists in one of the branches (bundle branch block), the impulses must take a detour to the affected side. This slows them down.

Bundle branch block is typically due to degenerative disease, such as cardiomyopathy, or scar tissue from heart surgery or heart attack. In some cases, the cause can't be determined.

Bundle branch block typically causes no signs or symptoms. It doesn't affect the rate or rhythm of your heart. It's usually found incidentally on an electrocardiogram done for some other reason.

Typically, bundle branch block needs no treatment. But a severe blockage may lead to a very slow heart rate (bradycardia) that requires a pacemaker. A blockage of the heart's electrical system isn't the same as narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, which provide blood to the heart.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bundle-branch-block/HQ00359

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