Low hr/bradycardia months/years following surgery

[Froller2]

So i take it most of us had elevated hr after our ohs, but now months, years or decades later how many have a low hr?
Mines usually in the 50s at rest but does dip into the 40s (i honestly get anxious whenever i look at my watch and i see 40s)

 

[pellicle]

yes, most of us have tachycardia responces (even afib) in the days, weeks or months following surgery. Bradycardia is not as common.
Have you discussed this with your cardio? I suspect something needs to be done medically

 

[jeffp]

Do you have any dizzy or nausea spells? Are you taking any beta blockers or other meds that would lower your HR? If you have symptoms, it’s really something to check out.
After my heart rate settled post MVR (was probably a year), it’s regularly in the 50’s at rest and upper 40’s while sleeping. My cardiologist is OK with it as I have no symptoms. A few years back I had a cholecystectomy and was inpatient for 2 nights for heparin bridging afterwards and one night 3 nurses came running in and scared the crap out of me. I woke up startled and they said my HR went down to 28. My response was “I was sleeping, what’d you expect?”. I was their annoying patient. I’d do things like take a long walk around the hospital and would go out of range of the telemetry.

 

[Froller2]

Do you have any dizzy or nausea spells? Are you taking any beta blockers or other meds that would lower your HR? If you have symptoms, it’s really something to check out.
After my heart rate settled post MVR (was probably a year), it’s regularly in the 50’s at rest and upper 40’s while sleeping. My cardiologist is OK with it as I have no symptoms. A few years back I had a cholecystectomy and was inpatient for 2 nights for heparin bridging afterwards and one night 3 nurses came running in and scared the crap out of me. I woke up startled and they said my HR went down to 28. My response was “I was sleeping, what’d you expect?”. I was their annoying patient. I’d do things like take a long walk around the hospital and would go out of range of the telemetry.

I do get dizzy at times but that started a month ago together with chest pain, but my cardiologist scanned my heart and said my heart was doing ok

 

[Croooser]

I had a low HR for years (resting rate in the 40s) but it was definitely a function of bp meds.

 

[gpr100rs]

I had a low HR for years (resting rate in the 40s) but it was definitely a function of bp meds.

Yep, beta blockers will due that. One of their primary functions is to blunt the effect of adrenaline on the heart. I'm on 100 mg metoprolol daily (afib after surgery and premature atrial contraction s for months, all resolved) and my resting heart rate is consistently in the 50's, but no dizzy spells and it will get to 160 with heavy aerobic exercise (squash). I'm 64, AVR 4-21, Inspiris Resilia, aorta graft and one vessel CABG at CC.

 

[d333gs]

Before my surgury 19 months ago my resting heart rate was in the high 40s . Immediately after surgery, the second week, it would drop into the mid 30s , usually the same time every evening about 8pm. A month latter it was mid 60s and stayed at that level for about a year , then started a slow decline. Now , over night it will go down to 50, as I type now with my first morning coffee it is 56.

 

[Froller2]

I had a low HR for years (resting rate in the 40s) but it was definitely a function of bp meds.

Before my surgury 19 months ago my resting heart rate was in the high 40s . Immediately after surgery, the second week, it would drop into the mid 30s , usually the same time every evening about 8pm. A month latter it was mid 60s and stayed at that level for about a year , then started a slow decline. Now , over night it will go down to 50, as I type now with my first morning coffee it is 56.

You on beta blockers?

 

[Croooser]

In my case:

1. For a while a combination of an Ace Inhibitor and a Beta Blocker
2. Later a combination of an Ace Inhibitor and a Calcium Channel blocker

Boyh combinations gave me a resting HR in the high 40s. One cardiologist felt that was a good thing for the deteriorating BCV.

 

[d333gs]

You on beta blockers?

Hi Froller,
No beta blockers, normal blood pressure. I do get lots of exercise.

 

[Froller2]

Hi Froller,
No beta blockers, normal blood pressure. I do get lots of exercise.

Ah, great i too make sure to exercise as its great for physical and mental health.

 

[Froller2]

In my case:

1. For a while a combination of an Ace Inhibitor and a Beta Blocker
2. Later a combination of an Ace Inhibitor and a Calcium Channel blocker

Boyh combinations gave me a resting HR in the high 40s. One cardiologist felt that was a good thing for the deteriorating BCV.

Never heard of ace inhibitors, and not sure what bcv is. But as long as your doing well im happy

 

[pellicle]

Never heard of ace inhibitors

just because:

What does ACE inhibitor do?

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, often shortened to ACE inhibitors, are a type of medications that lower your blood pressure. They interfere with how your body converts angiotensin into a form that raises your blood pressure.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21934-ace-inhibitors

 

[Froller2]

just because:

What does ACE inhibitor do?

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, often shortened to ACE inhibitors, are a type of medications that lower your blood pressure. They interfere with how your body converts angiotensin into a form that raises your blood pressure.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21934-ace-inhibitors

Oh, thanks for the explanation

 

[QuincyRunner]

To put this heart rate thing into perspective.....
My HR drops to the high 20's every night and averages under 35 for the entire night except when I get up to go to the bathroom. It has been the way for the past 12 years since my OHS and is of no concern to me even though various cardiologists and other medical folks have been quite alarmed about it. For a while I agreed to wear a heart monitor but every night I was getting calls from some contract doctor somewhere telling me to go to the ER. I would politely decline and then disconnect the heart monitor. Similar situation now that I have an Apple Watch. It has a pre-programmed setting that sets off an alarm whenever a person's HR drops below 40 for more than 10 seconds. Just one night of it going off constantly forced me to disconnect that also. I can't even use the watch's EKG function because it tells me that I have Bradycardia and that my HR is too low to get an accurate reading. The thing is, I don't technically have Bradycardia. I have 2nd degree heart block and when at rest I skip about every 3rd or 4th heartbeat, which over the course of 60 seconds averages out to a low HR even though I'm in normal sinus rhythm when not skipping a beat. That might sound counterintuitive but I do not have a consistent slow heartbeat (Bradycardia), I have skipped beats (heart block). The reason that I am not concerned is that when I am under physical stress, such as running or even doing pushups, or anything that raises my blood pressure, my HR returns to normal and I stop skipping beats. I have had to prove this to my cardiologist and electrophysiologist by submitting to stress tests and even by doing pushups in their office. Of course they still want to implant a pacemaker but I think it is a CYA thing for them. By the way, I have no symptoms such as fainting (of course I am usually sleeping when my HR hits the 20's) and I am not taking any Ace Inhibitor's or Beta Blockers. I say all this to say that very low HR's, especially in the 40's, are not necessarily something to freak out about.

 

[Froller2]

To put this heart rate thing into perspective.....
My HR drops to the high 20's every night and averages under 35 for the entire night except when I get up to go to the bathroom. It has been the way for the past 12 years since my OHS and is of no concern to me even though various cardiologists and other medical folks have been quite alarmed about it. For a while I agreed to wear a heart monitor but every night I was getting calls from some contract doctor somewhere telling me to go to the ER. I would politely decline and then disconnect the heart monitor. Similar situation now that I have an Apple Watch. It has a pre-programmed setting that sets off an alarm whenever a person's HR drops below 40 for more than 10 seconds. Just one night of it going off constantly forced me to disconnect that also. I can't even use the watch's EKG function because it tells me that I have Bradycardia and that my HR is too low to get an accurate reading. The thing is, I don't technically have Bradycardia. I have 2nd degree heart block and when at rest I skip about every 3rd or 4th heartbeat, which over the course of 60 seconds averages out to a low HR even though I'm in normal sinus rhythm when not skipping a beat. That might sound counterintuitive but I do not have a consistent slow heartbeat (Bradycardia), I have skipped beats (heart block). The reason that I am not concerned is that when I am under physical stress, such as running or even doing pushups, or anything that raises my blood pressure, my HR returns to normal and I stop skipping beats. I have had to prove this to my cardiologist and electrophysiologist by submitting to stress tests and even by doing pushups in their office. Of course they still want to implant a pacemaker but I think it is a CYA thing for them. By the way, I have no symptoms such as fainting (of course I am usually sleeping when my HR hits the 20's) and I am not taking any Ace Inhibitor's or Beta Blockers. I say all this to say that very low HR's, especially in the 40's, are not necessarily something to freak out about.

Wow honestly i would have wanted a pm inserted if i was in your situation, my anxiety would destroy me o.o

 

[oo0My_Valve0oo]

There are so many variations of heart ailments. This is all interesting seeing these HR numbers. I received a pacemaker in part because my HR was in the 40’s and it needed to get in the 60’s. This, 2 years after OHS. Now it is consistently in the 60’s. I would also get out of breath with minor exertion. Prior, there were a couple of moments when it dropped and I was borderline dizzy. In retrospect I was almost falling asleep but I was standing or walking those two times, maybe that is what almost passing out feels like. I have never passed out. One of those times I was in the hospital and on a bluetooth monitor. I dismissed it so quickly I had to think about it when the nurse came to me about it. The desk was not monitoring it at that moment but saw the recorded event after and asked about how I was feeling. I have afib. I have not been on any medication other than the sustained rel mini aspirin. Again, interesting seeing the low HR numbers. When in ICU following OHS my blood pressure would drop so low as I fell asleep it would set off alarms and wake me up. I wasn’t thinking about HR then. I don’t know what it was at those times I just recall BP being mentioned. They probably talked about HR and I associated it with BP. I need to review my records and see if it mentions it.

 

[Froller2]

There are so many variations of heart ailments. This is all interesting seeing these HR numbers. I received a pacemaker in part because my HR was in the 40’s and it needed to get in the 60’s. Now it is consistently in the 60’s. I would also get out of breath with minor exertion. Prior, there were a couple of moments when it dropped and I was borderline dizzy. In retrospect I was almost falling asleep but I was standing or walking those two times, maybe that is what almost passing out feels like. I have never passed out. One of those times I was in the hospital and on a bluetooth monitor. I dismissed it so quickly I had to think about it when the nurse came to me about it. The desk was not monitoring it at that moment but saw the recorded event after and asked about how I was feeling. I have afib. I have not been on any medication other than the sustained rel mini aspirin. Again, interesting seeing the low HR numbers.

When was that? Ive never seen anyone concerned with a hr in the 40s. Though with the symptoms you had it made sense.

 

[oo0My_Valve0oo]

Pacemaker implanted May 2023. I was directed to ER by cardiologist. When the ER team hooked me up to monitors my HR was in the 40's and they said that must be why I was directed to ER.

It was in question because my cardiologist was at a different hospital. There, they had no beds because of a remodel. He could not arrange for me to have the pacemaker implantation in advance at this hospital and initially the ER head was aggravated that I would be sent there instead of a prearranged room. Due to this route of admission I was bumped by priorities all day as they also had to investigate and eliminate other possibilities before going through with the implant. I did not get a room until late that evening. Received the pacemaker the next day around noon. Then I was released that afternoon.

I had other things going on. I had been wearing a Holter EKG. When they received it when I sent it in they immediately called me and said go to the nearest ER. I had full branch block and afib and was fatigued and had to stop to catch my breath just walking 15 feet.

But I keep learning more about things and it requires revisiting experiences and medical records then viewing them with more awareness. While I have experienced a linear chain of events and experiences it is not like taking a course where everything is presented in a carefully planned sequence. If I knew then what I know now I would have viewed it differently as it unfolded, that sort of thing. So I am not describing it well because there is so much to know about the heart. I have met people and read things here and no one has the same things going on that I have. Some people may share some things with others but it seems that most have a unique combination of things.

The pacemaker was a smoking gun and has been an amazing improvement regarding the worsening symptoms I was experiencing. As I have returned to my life life has caught up with me and the initial boost has leveled off some. Part of that was the immediate contrast. But everything was effortless within a day of receiving the pacemaker. I had been sleeping 3.5 hours a day. I could go on 2 after the pacemaker. Not healthy but that is how it was. I am needing more rest now. But that is also another layer of things that have been going on, insomnia for years.

 

[Froller2]

Damn afib and heartblock is terrifying. But in glad your doing better now