A conduction disorder is a problem with the electrical system that makes your heartbeat and controls its rate and rhythm.
This system is called the cardiac conduction system. Normally, the electrical signal that makes your heartbeat travels from the top of your heart to the bottom.
The signal triggers your heart muscle, causing your heart to beat and pump blood to your lungs and body.
In conduction disorders, this electrical signal either does not generate properly, or it does not travel properly through the heart or both.
The types of conduction disorders, such as atrioventricular (AV) blocks and bundle branch blocks, vary depending on where they occur in the conduction system.
Certain medicines can cause conduction disorders, as can conditions such as ischemic heart disease or heart attack, or your genetics.
Your doctor may be able to diagnose a conduction disorder with an electrocardiogram (EKG), which is a reading of your heart’s electrical activity.
Conduction disorders may be treated with medicines, pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), and surgical procedures.
Treatment depends on the location, type, and severity of your conduction disorder. Your doctor will consider how the disorder affects your heart and symptoms, which can differ from one person to the next.
Sometimes an irregular heartbeat called an arrhythmia, is the first sign of a conduction disorder.
If left untreated, severe conduction disorders can lead to sudden cardiac arrest, in which the heart suddenly stops beating.
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Source: NHLBI
