Heart Block

George · medicine forum Guru Wannabe Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 102

I don't know if I should be worried about this, but I recently had a
cardioversion to try and correct attrial flutter. It was not causing
any symptoms, as far as I could see, - and it was only a routine ECG
that brought it up. This failed to achieve the desired result and I was
left, - so I was told with an unsynchronised atrial beat of some 50
bps.

For years (and years) I have been a long distance runner and have a
resting beat of about 32 - 34 which goes up to 80 or so max. on a long
run. It goes down to 29 when I really relax. This has always caused
concern to Doctors, and they always ask about dizziness and fainting
spells etc, which I never have. In fact I have never had any problems
that I can ascribe to my heart even though I had an angioplasty and
stent in 1999 for a blocked LAD. Again after a routine ECG. I can swim
about 50 metres underwater with little effort. Or I could a few weeks
ago. I am 6'4" and about 86 kgs.

The post cardioversion report says "arrythmia (Complete Heart Block)"
and says I should go back in September for follow-up. They gave me a
24 hour monitor to wear but I did not get any freedback. Since the
procedure, however I get out of breath a bit sometimes and often seem
to be breathing more heavily. On the two runs I have had of 6 and 5
Kms. I am about 20% slower than three weeks ago. At 65 I am not really
expecting to set any records but I can't see why I should be worse off.
If I had a flutter of 300 bpm previously; surely an unsynchonised beat
at the top (atrial) of about 50 bpm is an improvement. My resting
ventricular beat seems a bit slower, if anything and on the ECG It says
- and I quote, as I don't understand it and was told to ignore it
anyway, - 3rd degree AV block Ventricular rate 32. QRSD 140
Leftwards axis. QT 499 LVH by voltage. QTc 364 Poor R-wave
Progression, possibly due to LVH Anterolateral T wave abnormalities,
--AXIS-- Possible ischemia
P Ind. QRS -17. T 172. Abnormal ECG.

Can anyone translate any of this? Any comments, please? I should
like stop eating rat poison and an angiotensin-II receptor antagonist,
Micardis, that I am reluctantly taking every day. Should I consider
leaving my heart to medical science? Not yet, as I am a bit fond of it.

Thanks George.

Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD · medicine forum Guru Joined: 25 Mar 2005 Posts: 8540

George wrote:

Google