A tachycardia-dependent

bundle branch block A bundle branch block is a defect in one the bundle branches in the electrical conduction system of the heart. Anatomy and physiology The heart's electrical activity begins in the sinoatrial node (the heart's natural pacemaker), which is situat ...

is a defect in the conduction system of the heart, and is distinct from typical bundle branch blocks due to its reliable, reproducible onset related to an increase in the rate of cardiac contraction. Tachycardia-dependent bundle branch block can prevent both ventricles from contracting efficiently and can limit the

cardiac output In cardiac physiology, cardiac output (CO), also known as heart output and often denoted by the symbols Q, \dot Q, or \dot Q_ , edited by Catherine E. Williamson, Phillip Bennett is the volumetric flow rate of the heart's pumping output: th ...

of the heart.

Anatomy

The human heart is a four-chambered organ responsible for the distribution of blood throughout the body. While every physiological effort is made to ensure that such a vital organ can operate continuously without error, sometimes a pathological situation arises and the function of the heart is compromised. One such pathology arises when the electrical signal propagated throughout the heart (responsible for the heart's highly organized contractions) is hindered, resulting in a degradation of said conduction. This is referred to as a bundle branch block and is seen clinically as rate-dependent bundle branch block,

right bundle branch block A right bundle branch block (RBBB) is a heart block in the right bundle branch of the electrical conduction system. During a right bundle branch block, the right ventricle is not directly activated by impulses travelling through the right bund ...

or left bundle branch block.

Normal functioning

In a healthy heart, specialized cells in the

sinoatrial node The sinoatrial node (also known as the sinuatrial node, SA node or sinus node) is an oval shaped region of special cardiac muscle in the upper back wall of the right atrium made up of cells known as pacemaker cells. The sinus node is approxi ...

are responsible for the generation of contractile stimuli that are directed throughout the heart. A direct neural-like pathway propagates this electrical