Sick Sinus Syndrome: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

Sick sinus syndrome is not a specific disease. It is condition of the heart comprising of a group signs and symptoms. It develops when the sinus node in the heart does not function properly. A person with sick sinus syndrome may experience irregular heart beat meaning it will either be too slow (bradycardia) or too fast (tachycardia) or between fast and slow with a long pause. It is relatively an uncommon heart disorder affecting people above 60 years of age.

The leading cause of this irregular heart rhythm are sinus nodes which are located in the upper chamber of the heart. They are a group of cells that act as the natural pacemaker, meaning they regulate a person’s heartbeat. They send out an electrical impulse that travels to the ventricles located in lower chambers of the heart (the heart is divided into four chambers, two upper of atria and two lower chambers of ventricles) causing the ventricles to contract and pump blood to your lungs and body. These impulses are produced in steady, regular pattern. With SSS, this pattern becomes irregular. Moreover, people having SSS may not show any signs or symptoms of the condition. If they occur, they may include-fatigue, dizziness or lightheadedness, fainting, shortness of breath, chest pains, slower heartbeat, heart palpitations.

Sick sinus syndrome is an irregular heart condition occurring due to dysfunctional sinus nodes. There are various causes responsible for the failure of the sinus nodes working properly. Some of these causes include-age, previous heart attack, hyperkalemia (too much potassium in the blood), medications to treat high blood pressure and many more. There other medical conditions that can also cause sinus nodes to malfunction. These includes-diptheria( an infection that can damage the heart muscles), hemochromatosis (excess iron in the blood), muscular dystrophy( an inherited condition in which the body’s muscle are damaged and weak). Improper functioning of the sinus nodes may require treatments depending on the cause.

For correct medical treatment of SSS, it is essential to undergo a diagnosis under a cardiologist. Moreover, the symptoms of SSS like dizziness, fatigue and shortness of breath are common symptoms of other disease as well. To identify SSS, your doctor may ask you to go through electrocardiogram or holter monitor or event recorder or implantable loop recorder. After a proper diagnosis, your doctor may alter your medication that might solve the problem but more often people having SSS need an artificial pacemaker. Generally the pacemaker is placed under the skin near your collarbone by performing a minor surgery. The pacemaker helps in producing normal steady paces in the heart. The type of pacemaker will depend on the condition of your sinus modes. It can either be a single chamber pacemaker or a dual chamber pacemaker.

People exhibiting symptoms like- fatigue, dizziness, weakness, shortness of breadth, heart palpitations,chest pain and slow heart beat are eligible for SSS treatments.

The treatment for SSS is not performed when a person does not show any sign or symptoms of the heart disorder. It is also not performed in cases like- for asymptomatic( showing no signs) forms of the disease, when SSS is caused by drugs, during the periods of acute infection or acute exacerbation of chronic pathologies and when patients suffers from other serious heart disorder.

The treatment of sick sinus syndrome has such no side effects. Factors like infection or swelling in the site of surgery and placement of artificial pacemaker is very negligible. However, a person having sick sinus syndrome can experience some complications to their health like-atrial fibrillation (a chaotic rhythm of the upper chambers of the heart), heart failure, stroke and cardiac arrest. Therefore, it’s important to get a checkup done if you are experiencing any of the symptoms and have medical history of prior heart surgeries or problems. It should also be noted that people having heart disorders running in the family, should be more careful and observant of their health.

Post-treatment recovery for sick sinus syndrome generally involves making certain changes in your lifestyle along with medication and physical activity. For starters, you should try to eat healthy by including more home-cooked food and substituting fried and fattening foods with green leafy vegetables and fruits. Try to lessen your salt and sugar intake. Engage in physical activity like walking or doing light free hand exercises to keep your heart healthy and strong. Most importantly have your medications of antibiotics and pain killers and follow up with your doctor for a detailed analysis of your heart conditions and the working of the artificial pacemaker

The actual surgery requires only 1 to 2 hours for the succesful placement of the pacemaker. However, a patient requires 1 to 2 moths to adjust to thepacemaker.

The price for doctoral consultation generally range between Rs-500 to Rs.1000.However, the surgical procedure can cost between Rs. 50,000 to Rs.1,00,000.

Yes, the reults of the surgery and subsequent placement of the pacemaker is permanent and helps a person having SSS go back to normal life.

If you have sick sinus syndrome and have undergone surgery where a pacemaker has been placed in your heart but you still have rapid heart rhythm, then you may need additional treatments. Some of these include- medications like anti-arrhythmia to prevent fast rhythms of the heart. You may also require blood- thinning medicine if you have atrial fibrillation. The second method involves AV node ablations that require radio frequency while the third method is radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation.