Violation of atrial patency is a serious ailment that can provoke life-threatening conditions in the body. What kind of disease is it and how does it manifest itself, a patient should know who has any kind of dysfunction of the heart. They diagnose pathology in those cases where a slowed heart pulse is observed and all because automatism is impaired, increased excitability and contractility are observed. During the development of this disease, the rhythm and contraction force of an important organ that is responsible for blood circulation changes significantly. In some areas, blood flow may be absent altogether.
What is this disease?
Before you find out how to properly treat the disease, you need to find out what the violation of atrial conduction means and what is the reason for its development. If even insignificant changes in the sequence of heart contractions have occurred in the body, this can negatively affect the functioning of each of the organs. This condition indicates that the process of blood flow into the aorta is difficult.
Doctors determine several stages of the disease. Depending on the nature of the disorder, these blockades can be distinguished:
- Incomplete. It can be detected at the initial stage of the development of the disease. Its main sign is a slow transmission of an impulse transmitted through the fibers of the heart.
- Complete. It is observed in patients who do not follow the recommendations of the doctor, or the therapy was chosen incorrectly. This species is most often incompatible with life and all because the passage of impulses is completely stopped.
The main reason for the violation of atrial conduction may be hidden in damage to the heart muscles, the presence of defects and coronary artery disease. Smoking and alcohol abuse play an important role in the development of this pathology. An incorrect lifestyle, stressful situations, and taking medications that stimulate the cardiovascular system negatively affect the work of the heart.
The following types of blockades exist, depending on the localization of the pathology:
- interatrial;
- sinoarterial;
- artioventricular;
- intraventricular.
Failures in the work of other organs and electrolyte disturbances provoked by a long intake of diuretics can also lead to a slowdown of intraatrial conduction.
How does the disease affect the functioning of all organs?
If the patient has only partial disturbances of sinoarterial conduction, then there will be no symptoms, and when fully he may experience discomfort in the chest and dizzy, these symptoms are provoked by poor blood circulation in the brain.
The atrial form of the disease is not life threatening to the patient. But if it is, then the risk of developing atrial fibrillation increases several times, which is already a threat to health. A similar condition manifests itself in the form of shortness of breath in a calm state or while walking, swelling of the lower extremities, cyanotic skin tone, discomfort in the chest area.
Atrioventricular atrial conduction disorder is only symptomatic in some patients, but if bradycardia is additionally observed, then no one is safe from an attack of MAS. At this point, the patient has weakness throughout the body. Dizziness with loss of consciousness, convulsions that are associated with impaired blood flow in the brain may be observed. This condition requires urgent hospitalization and skilled care. If no action is taken, the patient is at risk of cardiac arrest.
The intraventricular form is manifested due to the impaired passage of blood through the legs of the bundle of His. Partial blockage is not always manifested by symptoms, but a rare pulse, loss of consciousness, and chest discomfort can tell about complete blockade.
What are some signs of anxiety?
What is a violation of atrial conduction, it is already known what forms of pathology are, too, but it is important to know how the disease manifests itself in order to seek help in time.
More often, patients note such manifestations:
- heart palpitations;
- disturbances in the work of the heart;
- periodic stopping of contractions;
- dizziness;
- fainting
- angina pectoris in the heart;
- dyspnea.
If the patient has a slowdown, and not a violation of atrial conduction, then the symptoms are not always manifested. The clinical picture is most pronounced only in the presence of pathology, which provoked such violations. Some patients complain of rapid fatigue, weakness throughout the body, memory problems, they often worry about a sense of fear, their mood changes dramatically.
With complete blockade, the patient has a heart defect, which only the surgeon can correct after surgery. Such problems often occur in newborns. They diagnose an ailment in infants born to a mother who suffers from autoimmune diseases or has problems with the heart and blood vessels.
What methods will help to diagnose correctly?
If the patient has at least one of the symptoms listed above, then he just needs to consult a doctor, and maybe even undergo a full examination to identify the disease and immediately begin its treatment. To make the correct diagnosis, you will have to undergo the following types of examinations:
- cardiogram;
- Holter monitoring;
- ECG tests with loads ;
- Ultrasound of the heart;
Is pregnancy possible with this diagnosis?
Any malfunction that occurs in the body of a woman during the bearing of a baby can lead to serious and irreversible consequences. Disorders of the heart are a serious problem for physicians when the fetus and its further proper development are at risk. This ailment develops in pregnant women most often against the background of hormonal changes and functional changes.
If a pregnant woman even has a slight violation of the atrial conduction, she needs to go to the ECG as soon as possible. Diagnosis will help to find out how serious the changes are and will enable specialists to choose the right treatment.
What are the dangers of conduction in the heart?
The danger of such a violation is based on the fact that there is a risk of developing heart failure, myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation. This is what threatens a person with a slowdown and a violation of the atrial conduction of the heart:
- angina pectoris;
- pulmonary artery thrombosis;
- MES attack;
- cerebral ischemia;
- stroke;
- sudden death.
The most dangerous are MES attacks (Morgagni - Adams - Stokes), loss of creation and seizures resembling epileptic. The severity of symptoms depends on how long the interruption of the functioning of the ventricles lasted and the level of pulse drop. Heart rate may drop by 20 beats or more. During an attack on the tonometer, the pressure level reaches critical. A similar condition can be observed several times a day, the duration of the attack is about 5 minutes, heart failure is often observed.
The consequences of the disease are also dangerous to humans. In addition to MES attacks, which lead to the fact that the brain lacks the oxygen necessary for its functioning, the patient has a memory impairment, the general condition worsens, and the level of intellectual abilities decreases. If a partial form of the disease becomes full, then this can lead to cardiogenic shock, which without qualified help can result in sudden death.
In order to prevent such serious and irreversible complications, it is important to identify the cause of atrial conduction disturbances in time. Treatment in this case will give good results.
Disorders in childhood
Heart block in children is manifested by the same symptoms as in an adult, but the treatment and prognosis have their own characteristics. Violation of the conduction of the heart pulse in children is diagnosed at any age, in the fetus in the womb.
To provoke the development of the disease in small patients can: inhibition of the sinus node and the inclusion of additional paths that help to conduct the signal. But the problems of the sinus node can cause such conditions:
- myocardial sclerosis;
- myocardial inflammation;
- failures in the electrolyte balance;
- changes in cell metabolism.
But in newborns, the cause of atrial conduction disorders can be such negative circumstances:
- infection in the womb in the mother;
- difficult pregnancy;
- prematurity;
- low birth weight.
All these factors lead to the fact that even during the laying in the baby’s body, failures occur, including in the cardiovascular system.
Injuries during labor can also trigger the development of the disease, and this is due to neurovegetative ways. In such babies, additional pathologies are additionally detected:
- psycho-vegetative;
- motor development disorders;
- neurological.
If the child has prolonged blockades, but in a mild form, then treatment is not prescribed. But if there is pain and discomfort, they recommend:
- treatment of the underlying ailment with antibiotics and hormonal drugs;
- resuscitation methods are used for acute myocardial infarction and infectious endocarditis;
- acute myocarditis is treated with antibiotics and glucocorticosteroids;
- in the chronic form of heart failure, digitalis and diuretics are recommended.
Some drugs that are prescribed for children to treat intra-atrial conduction disorders can block the conduction of impulses through the leg of His, so they are either completely canceled or the dosage reduced significantly.
Therapeutic measures
An individual treatment is selected for each patient. All concomitant ailments, body features, age, health status of the patient are taken into account.
There are several stages of treatment, but the most popular medication. It helps to slow down the development of the disease if it was detected at an early stage. To adjust the patient's condition, he is recommended a vitamin-mineral complex. Often in these cases, experts recommend Preductal. In order to prevent the transition of the disease into a more severe form, calcium antagonists, thrombolytics and anticoagulants are necessarily used. There are other, equally effective drugs that have helped more than one patient to stop the development of the disease:
- magnesium and potassium preparations;
- anti-ischemic agents;
- adrenomimetics;
- beta blockers.
You will also need drugs that help improve blood flow in the brain. In addition, the patient needs to change his usual lifestyle, it is important to strictly follow a diet that will help lower blood cholesterol.
Violation of atrial and intraventricular conduction is treated with glycosides. Their reception is recommended to all patients who have been given a similar diagnosis. If the intraventricular form of the disease occurs with an atrioventricular, then these funds should be taken with extreme caution and it is imperative to control the process using an electrocardiogram.
Surgical treatment
I use this method of therapy in extreme and neglected cases when, after drug treatment, no improvement is observed. Today, surgeons use the latest technique, which involves the implantation of a small device. Thanks to this device, it is possible to restore the rhythm of the heart and improve the conductivity of impulses. Complete blockade and the development of bradycardia involves the implantation of a pacemaker, which will help the patient live a full life.
Forecast
If the patient has only the first degree of blockade, then the prognosis for him is favorable. During it, serious deviations in well-being were not observed for several years. If other diseases, such as ischemia, inflammation or cardiosclerosis, join the disorder, then rhythm disturbances are possible. In these cases, often the incomplete form becomes full.
The second degree is accompanied by atrial arrhythmias: tachycardia, flicker and others. The disease is difficult, and the prognosis can be determined only if there are background pathologies. Atrial dissociation rarely allows the patient to fully recover, even if all symptoms are eliminated. In severe forms of heart disease, disorders can be observed several hours before death, so there is absolutely no time to help a person.
It is impossible to predict how long a person with serious disabilities will live, because it all depends on what lifestyle he leads, what kind of concomitant illnesses he has. But it is important to remember that in any case you should not give up, constant monitoring and taking the necessary drugs will make it possible to prolong life and make it more fruitful.