Hypoxia and Medicine

bradyasystolic rhythms?

how do you think severe hypoxia may cause bradyasystolic rhythms? is it a direct effect on the heart itself or an indirect effect on the heart?

Public Comments

1. Sorry but your terminology is off a bit. With asystole there is no rhythm. Bradycardia is a slow heart rate.And the word systolic refers to blood pressure which why the word asystole. No pressure.And if you're referring to bradycardic rhythm but there is no blood pressure that would be what they used to call PEA.Yeah so you probably could use bradyasystole but it sounds oxymoronic to me. Ok, let's get to the question.. It's hypoxemia not hypoxia. Hypoxia refers to a low environmental partial pressure of oxygen. Hypoxemia does certainly result in cardiac arhytymnias by effecting the Atrial node which requires o2 to function and keep the natural pacemaker going. Lack of oxygen also effects the myocardial muscle fibers which need the o2 to contract. So anyway it's a direct effect. Hypoxemia has peripheral effects the aortic and carotid bodies and they cause the heart to beat faster. God bless. Good question.