Reference no: EM133656327

Jeffrey is 43 years old and basically healthy. He has just gone to his physician for a physical. While obtaining an ECG, the physician notices that there is an indication of some blockage of the electrical signal that should be going to Jeffrey's right ventricle. When reviewing the results of the physical, the physician tells Jeffrey that he has a problem that is not life threatening now, but could become serious if he doesn't make some lifestyle changes.

Jeffrey has a problem in his heart that he might have been born with, or it may have developed later as a result of an infection or even surgery. Part of the conduction system in his heart has an interruption in its transport of electrical signal. When the heart's internal pacemaker, the SA node, sends its signal to the AV node at the top of the interventricular septum, the signal is sent down into the wall between the ventricles through a relay called the Bundle of His and separates the signal into two parts. One part goes to the right ventricle and the other to the left, through specialized cardiac muscles that are bundled together. If either of these bundles is damaged, the signal does not reach both ventricles at the same time and the heart's function is compromised. As in Jeffrey's case, damage to the right bundle is usually asymptomatic.

The doctor hands Jeffrey a slip of paper and suggests that he take the advice on the sheet. The following needs to be done to reduce his risk of a fatal problem: stop smoking (he doesn't), control blood pressure (it's normal), reduce dietary cholesterol and fats (his favorite foods are bacon and eggs), reduce weight to normal (he's 240 pounds), exercise (he doesn't), and control diabetes (he doesn't have it). Jeffrey needs to make some choices.

Questions

1. What choices does Jeffrey need to make to live a healthy life?

2. What complications might he expect if his condition becomes serious?