: incoordination of the heartbeat in which the atria and ventricles beat independently and which is marked by decreased cardiac output
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebWhen the twins were two years old, Lily was diagnosed with a third-degree heart block, and received a pacemaker. Emily Burack, Town & Country, 26 July 2022 After surviving life-saving emergency surgery due to a complete heart block as a child, as well as a devastating car crash in college, the 26-year-old has worked hard to find ways to heal from her physical and emotional pain. Lanae Brody, PEOPLE.com, 15 Mar. 2022 Further testing revealed at that time that the baby had congenital heart block—a condition caused by an antibody that had traveled across Cleghorn's placenta, attached to the baby's heart cells, and caused inflammation that slowed his heart muscle. Colleen Murphy, Health.com, 16 Feb. 2022 Amyloid protein can also block the arteries of the heart, leading to heart attack, or may damage the electrical conduction system of the heart, leading to heart block or abnormal rhythms. Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2022 In a larger series of 700 COVID-19 patients monitored for rhythm problems, none developed heart block. Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 24 Jan. 2022
Word History
First Known Use
1903, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
heart block
noun
: incoordination of the heartbeat in which the atria and ventricles beat independently due to defective transmission through the bundle of His and which is marked by decreased cardiac output often with cerebral ischemia