Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Left Anterior fassicular block and right bundle branck block with Afib

My husband went to the heart doctor and he told him that he has lefl anterior fassicular block and right bundle branck block to his heart.  He is on flecinide and dilatilazin for afib.  The doctor wants to lower the dose of the flecinide and retake the ekg in 1 week.  What does this mean?
9 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Hi, well, we went back to the University on Thursday, they did an EKG and the MRI. The EKG showed that the both conductors are still blocked.  They Doctor was concerned that his irregular heartbeats might be caused by the third and last conductor becoming blocked. His right branch block occured between January and April of this year... very fast. They called this morning and said that the MRI showed that there is scarring to 34% of his heart.  They also put on a halter monitor for him to wear for 48 hrs.  We will send it in on Monday (overnight mail).  We were told to make an appointment for 2 weeks but they will call if there is anything to be concerned about on the monitor.  They are considering an ablation for the A-fib but I am concerned that it will not work as well with the scarring, Then, they said that it is likely he will also need a pacemaker. Any thoughts?  I am still quite worried that he will keel over on me, he insists on driving, too.
Helpful - 0
121171 tn?1306462006
HI... I dont know much at all (nothing really)about this subject, but I DO know how worrisome these things can be.... and not just for the one having the problems! My husband just yesterday said he wished it was HIM with the problems instead of me..... Awwww... so sweet huh??..& I KNOW it is hard on him to think there is something wrong with me that he cant fix....  it DOES take its toll on the caregivers and loved ones.. no doubt!

Just wanted to say HANG in there, knowing you have done all you know to do & have doctors that know what they are doing... PLUS the gr8 physician in charge of it ALL//prayer WORKS!.....Deep breathing helps too... and Ed is right... googling these things can make one go crazy with fear...I _know!
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
I'm sure your cardiologist has got it all in hand and evaluated the risks. I believe that if the delay was serious then he would have been fitted with a pacemaker by now. If the delay is not over the accepted limits, then medication is tried first.
"How likely is it that the last branch could close down and what are the symptoms"
Well, although the right branch is blocked, the signal is still finding a way through heart tissue, which just takes a bit longer, causing a delay. If the heart tissue is damaged and the signal can't find a way through any way, then this is total heart block. Don't start googleing total heart block :)  this is not what your husband has and will scare you even more unnecessarily. Trust your cardiologist and ask questions, such as "what is the delay time and is it in acceptable limits". Such questions will give you more confidence and believe it or not, cardiologists love being asked questions. When I ask mine any questions, he sits there drawing pictures and spends ages explaining things. It makes a nice difference to their day I suppose :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yes, he is a big Dane...sadly, each of his siblings have had heart problems as well as his Mother, Grandmother and Grandfather.  Sister has A-Fib, brother (at 52) was playing basketball (he was a Sheriff and playing with an EMT and a Pediatric Cardiologist...luckily) when he fell to the ground in heart failure... they kept him alive until the ambulance came, he had a pace maker and defibulator installed.  Now, 8 years later, he just went through heart surgery (I am not sure what they did, but he barely made it).  

No he did not go through chemotherapy, they got it all.  Following the surgery he had the A-fib and his left vocal cord became paralized (they don't know whether it was due to stroke or incubation).  I tend to think it was a stroke as his left eye is very droopy.

This is the 2rd day since being off flecainide, he is still experiencing erratic heartbeats but has no other symptoms.  I don't get much sleep worrying about him.  We don't go in for another ekg and the MRI until this Thursday.  

How likely is it that the last branch could close down and what are the symptoms?  

Thank you so much... Dotti
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
Wow he is tall,  do you call him Goliath :)
When he had the prostectomy, did he have chemotherapy?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
We went back to the Doctor on Thursday, they did another ekg.  It was the same.  They took him off the flecainide completely and he has an appt next Thursday for another ekg and an mri.  Last night (Friday, one day off flecainide) about 6pm he began having an extremely erratic pulse, no dizziness, light headedness or pain.  We called the arythmia center and they said they weren't too concerned because there were no other sympthoms. It is difficult to sleep for worry.  He is a big man, 7' and I am just afraid he will go down... he passed out on me 3 years ago when he went into afib, they had to shock him into sinus rythum at that time.  All this began following a prostectomy (for cancer). He is 68 years old.  Thank you for any info you can give me. Happygma
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
Please let us know what they say, and what they recommend. Flecinide is good for controlling a-fib conditions, but I believe they suspect that maybe the dosage could be affecting the rest of the signal for the heart. I hope the EKG has improved.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you for your response.  The Doctor has lowered his Flecainide about 1/3 to see if this is the cause for the blockages, it has been 2 days.  I am concerned that he will go into afib again... they have had to restart his heart 2x in the past.  He is 68.  I don't see how the medication could be at fault since he has been on it for over 3 years, 4 months ago he had an extensive stress/treadmill test and it was completely normal.  His sister has afib and his brother nearly died on the basketball court at 52, they put in a defibulator/pacemaker, he went through open heart surgery last year, he has the electrical conductor problem and afib.  Naturally, I am quite concerned.  I can't sleep worrying that my husband will collapse again.  He is 7' tall... a big Dane.  We go in next week to have another ekg to see if it has gotten better.  Any information is of a great help for me... thank you so much.  Happygma
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
The signals which go to the left and right main pumping chambers are not following the normal path along designated cells. It's a bit like a faulty wire which has broken, on both the left and the right side. The cardiologist needs to establish the cause which can be difficult as a high number of causes are never found. Due to the broken wires, the main chambers, left and right, will be delayed in pumping. The signal arrives later than it should because it has to find its own route through heart muscle. If the delays are not too bad, then there is nothing that needs to be done, except maybe medication. However, if the chambers are seriously out of synch, causing dizzy spells, fainting, shortness of breath etc, then a pacemaker will be required to take over the signalling. The A-fib is another electrical impulse problem where the top smaller chambers are beating too fast. The medication flecinide can resolve this. I assume you mean diltiazem? which is calcium channel blocker. These can also help restore normal rhythm.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Heart Disease Community

Top Heart Disease Answerers
159619 tn?1707018272
Salt Lake City, UT
11548417 tn?1506080564
Netherlands
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Is a low-fat diet really that heart healthy after all? James D. Nicolantonio, PharmD, urges us to reconsider decades-long dietary guidelines.
Can depression and anxiety cause heart disease? Get the facts in this Missouri Medicine report.
Fish oil, folic acid, vitamin C. Find out if these supplements are heart-healthy or overhyped.
Learn what happens before, during and after a heart attack occurs.
What are the pros and cons of taking fish oil for heart health? Find out in this article from Missouri Medicine.
How to lower your heart attack risk.