Saturday, July 12, 2008 Paul asks

Q: What should I do If I have a right bundle branch block?

I visited a doctor after having chest pains on the left hand side of my chest,this pain goes and comes back a few times.

It used to be severe and when I visited a doctor my EKG was Improper In otherwords all the numerous times I went to the doctor It was revealed that It wasn't normal.

Last saturday the doctor told me that I have what Is called Right Bundle Branch Block.

It also has been revealed that I have a heartburn that keeps bothering me.

Before all this was revealed I had a bacteria called Pylori(hopefully thats the spelling).It was treated and I went back for a different way of testing and It was revealed that I don't have It anymore and truthfully that severe pain has gone.But the pain comes and goes It used to be severe In my upper abdomen,abit up In the chest and sometimes In the back.It also feels like heat sometimes and becomes Itchy.

However about a week ago Is when the doctor said to me that I have something called a Right Bundle Branch Block.

Is that something I should be worried about,what should I do?

Am on omeprazole for the heartburn aswell.

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Answers (2)

Martin Cane, M.D., Health Pro

7/16/08 2:37pm

Paul,

Thanks for your question. There are two types of bundle branch block: left bundle and right bundle branch block. When the normal electrical current travels through the heart, it splits into two branches (left and right bundles) before it causes the two large chambers to contract and pump blood. When one or the other branch is delayed, there is a characteristic appearance on the electrocardiogram. This delay is a small fraction of a second and does not affect the pumping action of the heart. A right bundle branch block does not cause symptoms of chest pain.

Right bundle branch blocks are often found on routine electrocardiograms, and sometimes occur as a result of underlying heart disease. They often occur in young adults with no symptoms. Your doctor will determine if further cardiac testing is needed in your situation.

It sounds like your symptoms have improved with the treatment of your H. pylori and your heartburn. Certainly follow-up with your physician, and if your symptoms persist, he may decide to go further with additional testing.

Our site has additional information that might be helpful to you. Please click on the following links:

What is "Right Bundle Branch"

What is a Bundle and is it Harmful?

Best wishes. I hope this information has been useful to you.

Martin Cane, M.D.

Dr. Thomas, Health Pro

7/30/08 8:49am

The electrical impulse that stimulates your heart to beat splits into two directions, traveling to the both right and left ventricles of the heart. The nerve fibers that conduct the impulse to the right ventricle are called the right bundle branch, and when these fibers are damaged so that they don’t conduct the impulse the condition known as right bundle branch block develops. The right heart must then rely on the signal that went to the left ventricle to travel around back to the right side. You can see a nice picture of this at the following website: http://www.emedicine.com/ped/images/Large/11541154Untitled-5.jpg

There are various causes of right bundle branch block (RBBB). In most cases RBBB doesn’t cause any symptoms or long term health problems, but there are some situations in which RBBB can be more serious—including genetic RBBB and RBBB linked to heart failure. You should be evaluated by a cardiologist who will want to know your family history (ie. do you have relatives that died suddenly of an unknown cause) and will also probably want to perform an echocardiogram to check the function of your heart.

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