Bradycardia

Bradycardia is an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) that causes you to have a very slow resting heart rate. If you’re experiencing symptoms, we offer treatments to normalize your heart rate and help you feel better. 

Symptoms of bradycardia

Normal resting heart rates for adults falls between 60 to 100 beats per minute. But if your resting heart rate is below 60, you may have bradycardia. 

Bradycardia can be normal if you’re an athlete, very active or a young, healthy adult. In this case, you likely don’t have symptoms and don’t need any treatment unless you start developing symptoms.

So, when should you worry about bradycardia? You should talk to your UCI Health clinician if you start experiencing symptoms of bradycardia, such as:

• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Fainting
• Cognitive impairment, such as memory problems or confusion

Causes of bradycardia 

Bradycardia is often associated with other conditions, including:

• Heart failure
• Coronary artery disease
• Thyroid conditions
• Sleep apnea
• Infections
• Lyme disease

When to seek care for bradycardia 

While bradycardia is typically not life-threatening, it is important to talk to your clinician if you’re experiencing symptoms. That’s because bradycardia can interfere with your heart’s ability to pump enough blood to the rest of your body. 

If you have risk factors or symptoms of bradycardia, talk to your primary care physician or cardiologist. 

After discussing your concerns and symptoms with you, they’ll do a physical exam. They could recommend additional tests to determine if you have bradycardia. They may also refer you to a UCI Health electrophysiologist, a cardiologist who specializes in treating arrhythmias like bradycardia.

Bradycardia diagnosis at UCI Health

If you’re having symptoms of bradycardia, our cardiologists can help get to the root of the problem. We offer comprehensive diagnostic tests that can determine if you have bradycardia or another condition.

Your UCI Health clinician will often start by recommending that you get an electrocardiogram (EKG, ECG). This noninvasive test records your heart’s electrical activity and identifies any irregularities.

Your clinician will likely also order bloodwork to look at your electrolytes, thyroid function and more. These results will give your care team a good picture of what’s causing your symptoms. 

If your clinician diagnoses you with bradycardia, they will discuss your treatment options with you.

Bradycardia treatment at UCI Health

At UCI Health, we focus on what’s causing your bradycardia and take a comprehensive approach in how we treat it. 

Our cardiologists collaborate with your primary care physician, pulmonologist or other specialists to tailor your treatment to your specific needs.

Bradycardia is often associated with other health problems, like thyroid conditions or coronary artery disease. Once you get treatment for those conditions, your resting heart rate may return to normal.  

Other times, you may need specific treatments to help your resting heart rate get back to normal.

Why choose UCI Health for bradycardia?

Pacemaker expertise

Getting a pacemaker is often the most effective treatment for bradycardia. In fact, you will likely start feeling better very soon after getting your pacemaker. At UCI Health, our electrophysiologists have high success rates implanting pacemakers. 

Accurate diagnosis

When you’re experiencing shortness of breath, chest pain and fatigue, it’s important to get to the root cause of these symptoms. Our cardiology team specializes in advanced diagnostic testing and imaging to determine if you have bradycardia or other heart conditions.

Personalized care

We know that having a low resting heart rate can be unsettling. Our team will work with you to help you understand all aspects of how to manage it. Our goal is to help you feel better and get back to a more active lifestyle.