Perioperative medicine & anaesthesia · UKMLA & AKT
Bradyarrhythmias and heart block
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test, covering how to recognise this condition. The full SA Note notes add investigations, management and complications, with practice questions on this topic.
Key high-yield points
- Bradycardia = heart rate <60 bpm; symptoms often only below 40 bpm
- Dizziness, syncope (Stokes-Adams attacks), fatigue, palpitations, dyspnoea, chest pain
- Adverse features requiring immediate treatment (Resus Council UK):
- Shock - hypotension (SBP <90 mmHg), pallor, cold peripheries, confusion
- Syncope - loss of consciousness due to cerebral hypoperfusion
- Myocardial ischaemia - ischaemic chest pain or ECG changes
- Heart failure - pulmonary oedema, elevated JVP, third heart sound
If ANY adverse feature is present, treat immediately - do not wait.
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