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Bradyarrhythmias

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Management of Cardiac Arrhythmias

Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

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Abstract

Bradycardia is defined by the National Institutes of Health as a heart rate less than 60 bpm in adults, although many studies use a cutoff of 50 bpm due to the fact that lower heart rates are associated with advancing age. However, the heart rate alone does not define an underlying pathology, as pathologic bradyarrhythmias will present with a combination of slow heart rates and symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, and syncope that suggest inadequate cardiac output. Pathologic bradycardia can be secondary to impaired impulse initiation, failure of impulse conduction, or a combination of both of these factors. The differential diagnosis is divided based on the anatomic location of the disease, typically consisting of the sinus node and the atrioventricular node. While the causes of bradycardia are vast, the ECG continues to be the most versatile test in diagnosing each of these disorders and is instrumental in the initial workup. Occasionally, additional studies such as exercise testing, pharmacologic therapy, or invasive EP studies are required when the diagnosis remains uncertain.

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Disclosures

MR reports no relevant disclosures.

AYS reports the following relationships with industry: 1) Research grants to Duke University from Medtronic and Boston Scientific. (All are >10,000 USD.) 2) Honoraria for lectures or consultation from: Biosense-Webster, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Merit Medical and St. Jude. (All are <10,000 USD.)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Michael Rehorn & Albert Y. Sun

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  1. Michael Rehorn
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  2. Albert Y. Sun
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Correspondence to Albert Y. Sun .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lankenau Heart Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Gan-Xin Yan

  2. Lankenau Heart Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Peter R. Kowey

  3. Lankenau Heart Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Charles Antzelevitch

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Rehorn, M., Sun, A.Y. (2020). Bradyarrhythmias. In: Yan, GX., Kowey, P., Antzelevitch, C. (eds) Management of Cardiac Arrhythmias. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41967-7_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41967-7_9

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-41966-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-41967-7

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