Sick Sinus Syndrome

Question: What specific drugs are used to treat Sick Sinus Syndrome and how do these drugs work? Specific drug names. A detailed description on how these drugs work.

Answer: Talk to a doctor.

Question: What is sick sinus syndrome and is it life threatening?

Answer: Sick sinus syndrome is a dysfunction of "sino atrial node"which normally and autonomously controls heart rate.A sick sinus slows down heart rate.It occurs as an ageing process,hypothyroidism,ischemic heart disease,over dose of drugs like Digoxin,Atenalol etc. ECG shows P wave changes. Low heart rates,changing heart rates,from slow to rapid occur.Not always fatal,the treatment depends upon the cause.

Question: Is there any other way of treating sick sinus syndrome except implantation of pacemaker?

Answer: You should discuss this with your doctor. Sick sinus syndrome, also called Bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome is a group of abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias) presumably caused by a malfunction of the sinus node, the heart's "natural" pacemaker. Bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome is a variant of sick sinus syndrome where atrial flutter and fibrillation alternate with prolonged periods of asystole.

Question: Coreg for patient with Sick Sinus Syndrome, Bradycardia... Fatal dose? If an elderly patient with severe Sick Sinus Syndrome and bradycardia were given 6.25 mg Coreg before pacemaker surgery, would or could it be fatal?

Answer: I wrote a very nice complete answer that got caught up in Yahoo!'s snafu earlier today...and is now lost. Highlights: 1) Coreg is Rx'd for either heart failure or angina - and therefore you need to consider it very carefully before withdrawing the medication. 2) Some b-blockers block the S-A node more than others. In fact sometimes b-blockers are used as an alternative to a pacemaker with SSS. 3) Coreg has both b-blocker and alpha blocker effects. Six and a quarter mg is a modest dose of Coreg which can be dosed over 50mg. There also is a common dose of 3.125mg that is available. 4) The medication should probably not be stopped unless the patient is having symptomatic bradycardia, that is near syncope or syncope. Slow HR is not enough to warrant stopping the medication if the patient is alert. The short answer is that no, Coreg may not be dangerous under the circumstances you describe. Nonetheless, people can respond in unexpected ways to medications and should be monitored carefully - with doses adjusted or the medication discontinued if warranted. I would encourage you to discuss this with the prescribing physician. Good luck.

Question: "Sick Sinus Syndrome" vs. "Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia" and ablation options. full explanation requested. I'm 25 years old & have been dealing with recurrent orthostatic tachydysrhythmia issues for 7 years My cardiologist threw a bit of a curve ball and tossed out the orthostatic part of the diagnosis and is now calling things "inappropriate sinus tach", stating that the best option would be an EP study with SA node "modification". What I am not familliar with and can't find online, is the definition of sick sinus syndrome and how (or if) it is different than an inappropriate sinus tach. If you know this, are you also familliar enough to discuss the differences, reasons for, and general outcome of those with a full sinus ablation versus a sinus 'modification' and your opinions on the safety or either? Thank you for your time (and yes, I can understand medicalese and I don't need someone to take time to translate things into laymens terms, I just need more info). Sincerely, A paramedic who deserves an honorary degree in cardiology from the college of hard knocks *grin*

Answer: I'm not an expert on ablation, but an EP study could diagnose the area causing the tach, and help decide on the appropriate treatment... what I know about SSS is that it is a general term used to describe any, multi, problems involving the SA node. usually I have seen more brady rhythms with this, but it can include brady, tachy, or brady and tachy, or SA arrest problems...yours sounds like only a tachy problem, so maybe calling it inapp ST is a more specific descrip than SSS... Go see the EP specialists, see what they propose, ask them for more info before you agree to any treatment

Question: Sick Sinus Syndrome? I was in the hospital for seven days for my original complaint of my heart beating 50BPM and down(dropped to 32 while sleeping) Went to the telemetry floor and was monitored the whole time.. My heart rate went to 54 once while waking, and then it had episodes of tacycardia. The first few days, it stayed 60-70's..the next it was 70s and up. The doctor did a EKG, and Holter, and Echo which were all fine. But he mentioned Sick Sinus Syndrome and today the holter results showed negative. Even though he claims no, should I worry? He said if I had it I would need a pacemaker. I am 25 and should not be having these problems. But anywho, if anyone has SSS, was it easily diagnosed?

Answer: Sick Sinus Syndrome is a dysfunction of the natural SinoAtrial pacemaker in the upper right atrium of the heart. Normally, the SA pacemaker discharges electrical impulses roughly every one second. With SSS, however, the SA node may deliver a much lower rate for a while, followed by a much higher rate of discharging, causing the patient with the disease to have very slow pulse rates, then suddenly very fast rates. This disease is also called Tachy-Brady syndrome. A Holter monitor would reveal things that would point to SSS, such as periods of asystole (the heart stops beating for a period of time), sinus arrest (where the SA node fails to fire and the AV node takes over), and a number of other things. If the Holter revealed none of these, but a slightly exaggerated response to certain activities, then SSS is no longer thought of as a diagnosis.

Question: Is sick sinus syndrome fatal? I found out that i have this but all of a sudden tonight my body tries to make me always turn to the right so much so i feel sick and dizzy. I force myself to go the other way and i feel like i'm going to pass out. Is this serious enough to go to the hospital for?

Answer: Sick sinus syndrome is not fatal. The word "syndrome" just means that there is a constellation of signs and symptons. Sick sinus syndrome occurs most commonly in elderly patients. The pathologic changes are usually nonspecific, characterized by patchy fibrosis of the sinus node and cardiac conduction system. Sick sinus syndrome may be caused by other conditions, including sarcoidosis, amyloidosis, Chagas' disease, and various cardiomyopathies. Coronary disease is an uncommon cause. Most patients with ECG evidence of sick sinus syndrome are asymptomatic, but rare individuals may experience syncope, dizziness, confusion, palpitations, heart failure, or angina. Because these symptoms are either nonspecific or are due to other causes, it is essential that they be demonstrated to coincide temporally with arrhythmias. This may require prolonged ambulatory monitoring or the use of an event recorder. Treatment - Most symptomatic patients will require permanent pacing (see AV Block, below). Dual-chamber pacing is preferred because ventricular pacing is associated with a higher incidence of subsequent atrial fibrillation, and subsequent AV block occurs at a rate of 2% per year. In addition, resultant "pacemaker syndrome" can result from loss of AV synchrony. Treatment of associated tachyarrhythmias is often difficult without first instituting pacing, since digoxin and other antiarrhythmic agents may exacerbate the bradycardia. Unfortunately, symptomatic relief following pacing has not been consistent, largely because of inadequate documentation of the etiologic role of bradyarrhythmias in producing the symptom. Furthermore, many of these patients may have associated ventricular arrhythmias that may require treatment; however, carefully selected patients may become asymptomatic with permanent pacing alone. Having said this I assume you were diagnosed and your doctor found it unnecessary that you be put on meds or a machine since you're asking this question. Best way to find out if its serious enough is to go back to your doctor and talk to him, since he has all your medical records and we don't. All we can do online is pock in the darkness and make an educated guess by what little information youve provided. Best of luck to you.

Question: I have 9 questions on ebstein's anomaly or hemophilia or raynauds syndrome or sick sinus syndrome or.....? you can answer these 8 questions on any of the following diseases... sick sinus syndrome, raynauds syndrome, hemophilia, ebstein's anomaly, cardiomyopathy, or bacterial endocarditis PLEASE SPECIFY THE DISEASE/DISORDER YOU PICKED Please number your answers according to my numbers 1) Parts of the cardiovascular system affected? 2) How does the disease/disorder affect the body? 3) Describe the population most commonly affected by this disease/disorder 4) What is the cause? 5) What is there (if any) as a treatment 6) How can you prevent it? 7) What are some societies or organizations that sponsor research or support for the disease/disorder? 8) What are the sorces for your information 9) any other info you have on it

Answer: [Collapse] 250 million visitors 11 million articles Donate Now » [Expand] Support Wikipedia: a non-profit project. Donate Now » [Expand] Support Wikipedia: a non-profit project. — Donate Now Raynaud's phenomenon From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Raynauds Syndrome) Jump to: navigation, search Raynaud's phenomenon Classification and external resources Hands with Raynaud's phenomenon ICD-10 I73.0 ICD-9 443.0 DiseasesDB 25933 eMedicine med/1993 MeSH D011928 Raynaud's phenomenon (pronounced /reɪˈnoʊz/) (r�y-NŌZ), in medicine, is a vasospastic disorder causing discoloration of the fingers, toes, and occasionally other extremities. This condition can also cause nails to become brittle with longitudinal ridges. Named for French physician Maurice Raynaud (1834 - 1881), the cause of the phenomenon is believed to be the result of vasospasms that decrease blood supply to the respective regions. Emotional stress and cold are classic triggers of the phenomenon, and the discoloration follows a characteristic pattern in time: white, blue and red. It comprises both Raynaud's disease (primary Raynaud's), where the phenomenon is idiopathic,[1] and Raynaud's syndrome (secondary Raynaud's), where it is caused by some other instigating factor. Measurement of hand-temperature gradients is one tool used to distinguish between the primary and secondary forms.[2] It is possible for the primary form to progress to the secondary form.[3] Contents [hide] 1 Prevalence 2 Epidemiology 3 Symptoms 3.1 Investigations 4 Pathophysiology 5 Treatment 5.1 General measures 5.2 Emergency measures 5.3 Drug therapy 5.4 Surgical intervention 5.5 Alternative and research approaches 6 See also 7 References 8 External links [edit] Prevalence The phenomenon is more common in women than men, with the Framingham Study finding that 5.8% of men and 9.6% of women suffered from it. [edit] Epidemiology There is a familial component to primary Raynaud's, and presentation is typically before two. Smoking worsens frequency and intensity of attacks, and there is a hormonal component. Sufferers are more likely to have migraine and angina than controls. Secondary Raynaud's has a number of associations: Connective tissue disorders: scleroderma[4] systemic lupus erythematosus rheumatoid arthritis Sjögren's syndrome dermatomyositis polymyositis Eating disorders Anorexia Nervosa Obstructive disorders atherosclerosis Buerger's disease subclavian aneurysms thoracic outlet syndrome Drugs Beta-blockers cytotoxic drugs - particularly chemotherapeutics and most especially bleomycin cyclosporin ergotamine sulfasalazine Occupation jobs involving vibration, particularly drilling exposure to vinyl chloride, mercury exposure to the cold (e.g. by working packing frozen food) Others hypothyroidism cryoglobulinemia malignancy reflex sympathetic dystrophy It is important to realise that Raynaud's can herald these diseases by periods of more than 20 years in some cases, making it effectively their first presenting symptom. This can be the case in the CREST syndrome, of which Raynaud's is a part. [edit] Symptoms The condition causes painful, pale, cold extremities. This can often be distressing to those who are not diagnosed, and sometimes it can be obstructive. If someone with Raynaud's is placed in too cold a climate, it could potentially become dangerous. Unilateral Raynaud's, or that which is present only in the hands or feet, is almost certainly secondary, as primary Raynaud's is a systemic condition. However, a patient's feet may be affected without him or her realizing it. In pregnancy, this sign normally disappears due to increased surface blood flow. [edit] Investigations A careful history will often reveal whether the condition is primary or secondary. Once this has been established, investigations are largely to identify or exclude possible secondary causes. Digital artery pressure: pressures are measured in the digital arteries before and after cooling the hands. A drop of 15mmHg or more is diagnostic. Doppler ultrasound: to assess flow Full blood count: this can reveal a normocytic anaemia suggesting the anaemia of chronic disease or renal failure Urea & Electrolytes: this can reveal renal impairment Thyroid function tests: this can reveal hypothyroidism An autoantibody screen, tests for rheumatoid factor, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein, which may reveal specific causative illnesses or a generalised inflammatory process Nail fold vasculature: this can be examined under the microscope [edit] Pathophysiology Primary Raynaud phenomenon, stemming from Raynaud disease, is an exaggeration of vasomotor responses to cold or emotional stress. More specifically, it is a hyperactivation of the sympathetic system causing extreme vasoconstriction of the periphera

Question: What is Sick Sinus Syndrome? Has it got to do anything with paranasal air sinuses or the sinu-atrial node?

Answer: It refers to the SA node in the heart, which is the heart's main pacemaker. In SSS, the node becomes irregular and so the heart's rate becomes highly variable, speeding up and slowing down. It's the slowing down that's the problem. If they heart gets too slow then not enough blood is pumped. When it becomes severe enough (and it always does eventually), it's treated by implanting an artificial pacemaker, which has become a pretty safe and simple procedure these days.

Question: What does a high diastolic reading mean? I suffer from sick sinus syndrome and it is nelieved that brief cardicac arrests are brought by my blood presure crashing. Recently my blood presure is 120/94 with a pulse of sometimes 90+ when I am resting. At this moement it is 148/99! My GP says this is nothing to worry about but could it suggest something underlying? Obviously no-one wants to treat the high blood presure as they re afraid of it becoming too low. Plese help!

Answer: It really isnt so bad because the systolic should be 140-101 and the diastolic (bottom) should be 60-99. So it is within normal ranges pretty much but the high bottom number means that your heart isnt resting as much as it should between beats. It could be as simple as anxiety, or maybe you have low blood count so your heart beats more to circulate more oxygen.

Question: can sick sinus syndrome of the heart get worse even when the person has a pacemaker? What is called "sick sinus syndrome" is when the natural pacemaker in the heart isn't sending impulses in a timely manner to keep the beats regular. The symptoms progress over time until finally the person requires an artificial battery operated pacemaker implant to regulate the heartbeat within normal range. After reading numerous articles on Google about this problem, nowhere could I find anything that explained the outcome of the sick sinus syndrome after a pacemaker was implanted after some time goes by. If the pacemaker is regulating the heart rate, how could the problem still get worse, if it does? The person I am referring to is a 71 year old man who has no other major problems and doesn't have a weak heart muscle, just the problem with the electrical impulses. . Also I was wondering if others who have had a pacemaker implanted, have had pain in their left shoulder or under the left shoulder blade and have you found the cause of it? Thank you for all comments.

Answer: The rhythm problem should be all better with the pacemaker. The left shoulder problem is probably muscle related due to the arm being somewhat immobilized for a few days. Try a deep tissue massage and ask if the therapist found a lot of tight muscles in the area. If the massage does not help at all, ask the cardiologist to evaluate the pacemaker site. I can;t imagine the pacemaker is causing the shoulder pain because it is so small, but anything is possible. Is the patient having hiccups constantly ? If so, call the doctor as soon as possible.

Question: Is Kartagener syndrome and sick cilia syndrome the same thing? i have sick cilia and i googled it and it came up with an article with that name and said it was the same thing...but i have never heard that name before! i was held back in kindergarten because i was in the hospital getting sinus surgery like 5 times.....is it the same thing??? so is it the same or not! i read both those websites....does anyone know?

Answer: Kartagener (pronounced KART-agayner) syndrome refers to a condition that involves difficulty with clearing mucus secretions from the respiratory tract, male infertility, and situs inversus. The defining characteristic of this syndrome is the situs inversus, which is a reversal of abdominal and thoracic organs. Sick or immotile cilia syndrome To date three distinct morphologic types of immotile cilia disorder in man have been recognized. Patients with the disorder have variable clinical manifestations of disease of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Twenty-one patients with immotile cilia syndrome have been evaluated from the standpoint of history, clinical presentation, radiologic changes, pulmonary function tests, and mucociliary clearance. The results have been compared to the pathologic changes noted on ultrastructural examination of the cilia. Although clinical severity does not correlate with the type of abnormality found, a profile of clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of immotile cilia syndrome has emerged. The triad of productive cough, sinusitis, and otitis was a consistent finding in all. Situs inversus occurred in only half of the patients.

Question: Heart related question? Does Bradycardia happen only on certain days or is it an every day thing? Like If i had sick sinus syndrome, would I have some days of fast hr and some of low?

Answer: That totally depends on the cause of bradycardia. If you are very athletic, than bradycardia would be a constant thing. If you have a condition called Sick Sinus Syndrome, you might have bradycardia only sometimes. Sick Sinus Syndrome is a dysfunction of the SinoAtrial node in the top right atrium. It cases of SSS, heart rate might be very low, less than 60 BPM, then suddenly race up to more than 100 BPM.

Question: pacemaker for SSS and now have SVT? I'm on my 2nd pacemaker for Sick sinus syndrome and now I'm have SVT. I'm wondering if any one else has had this happen to them.

Answer: Well, since SSS can cause a low heart rate ( bradycardia) the pacemaker of the heart ( SA Node) failed to kick in. So, you needed a pacemaker to take over. Now that you are on second pacemaker( evidently the first one may not have been calibrated properly or it did it's job) but, now you have SVT ( Supraventricular Tachycardia) now, your heart beat is faster, which, basically means that your heart beat is being originated from below the Atria ( where the SA Node is located ) and above the ventricles( the lower heart chambers). As to why things were corrected, would be based on your symptoms, etc. This is very common so, let the Heart Docs' do their thing. I hope that this helps

Question: canine teeth cleaning complications? My Sheltie just passed from Sick Sinus Syndrome almost one year to the date she had her teeth cleaned. She did not have this before the cleaning, otherwise, I can't imagine they would have done it and it was never in her records. Could this have been a complication from the cleaning?

Answer: Sick sinus syndrome is a relatively uncommon syndrome. It can result in many abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), including sinus arrest, sinus node exit block, sinus bradycardia, and other types of bradycardia (slow heart rate). Sick sinus syndrome may also be associated with tachycardias (fast heart rate) such as paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) and atrial fibrillation. Tachycardias that occur with sick sinus syndrome are characterized by a long pause after the tachycardia. Abnormal rhythms are often caused or worsened by medications such as digitalis, calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, sympatholytic medications, and anti-arrhythmics.

Question: Some questions about the heart!!!? If a person has Sick Sinus Syndrome, does it come and go or is it consistent? Meaning, will the symptoms come and go? If a person was on monitors and such for a few days, can it be detected or is there a chance it can be missed? And if a person has a slow heart rate(30s-40's) once, can it be a fluke or just a malfunction in the holter machine?

Answer: Sick sinus syndrome usually is consistent, and can be worsened by some medications that may affect the heart rate. A 24 or 48 hour monitor should pick it up. Some people may have an occassional skipped beat or pause, and that may or may not be a problem. It would be worth seeing a cardiologist about. Yes, it can be computer error also, as it can be artifact or poor transmission on the monitor.