Heart Block (A-V Block)

[Ewigkeit]

Basic Facts
      Heart block, also called atrioventricular block or A-V block, is an abnormality of the spread or flow of electrical activity from the upper heart chambers, the atria, to the lower heart chambers, the ventricles.
      Heart block results in an abnormality or disturbance in the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat.
      Heart block occurs in three levels of severity. First-degree block is a delay of the signal that stimulates the ventricles to contract, and second-degree block is a partial or intermittent interruption of the signal that stimulates the ventricles to contract. Third-degree block is a complete interruption of the signal that stimulates the heart to contract.
Typically, the heart beats with a regular rhythm at a rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute. An arrhythmia is a change in the heart's normal rate or rhythm. Arrhythmias that occur because of heart block are generally slower-than-normal heart rates, and at least 10 to 15 percent of people aged 70 and older experience some form of an arrhythmia.