Does a Right Ventricular conduction delay indicate a blockage?

Right Ventricular Conduction Delay Does Not Mean You Have a Blockage

Your ECG finding of right ventricular conduction delay is an electrical conduction abnormality, not a physical blockage of blood vessels or heart valves. This represents a delay in how electrical signals travel through your heart's right ventricle, not an obstruction to blood flow 1.

Understanding Your ECG Finding

What Right Ventricular Conduction Delay Actually Means:

• Right ventricular conduction delay indicates that electrical impulses take slightly longer to travel through the right side of your heart, reflected in your QRS duration of 103 ms (which is at the upper limit of normal) 1
• This is fundamentally different from a "blockage" in the coronary arteries (which would restrict blood flow) or valve obstruction 1
• The term "delay" refers to electrical conduction timing, not physical obstruction of blood vessels 1

Clinical Significance in Your Context

For preoperative evaluation before hernia surgery:

• Right ventricular conduction delay can occasionally be seen in otherwise healthy individuals and may be an incidental finding 1
• Your other ECG parameters are relatively normal: heart rate of 57 bpm (mild bradycardia, often normal in some individuals), PR interval of 191 ms (slightly prolonged but not concerning), and QTc of 409 ms (normal) 1
• The finding warrants evaluation to exclude underlying structural heart disease, but does not automatically indicate serious pathology 1

What Should Be Done Next

Recommended evaluation includes:

• Echocardiography to assess right ventricular structure and function and exclude conditions like congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, or cardiomyopathy 1
• Clinical assessment for symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, or syncope 1
• Consideration of whether you have risk factors for structural heart disease (hypertension, prior heart conditions, family history) 1

Important Distinctions

Complete bundle branch block versus conduction delay:

• Your finding is a conduction delay, not a complete right bundle branch block (which would require QRS duration >120 ms) 1
• Complete bundle branch blocks are less common (<2% in athletes and young populations) and carry different implications 1
• Nonspecific intraventricular conduction delays like yours are generally less concerning than complete blocks, though still warrant investigation 2

Regarding Your Surgery

Preoperative implications:

• This finding should be discussed with your anesthesiologist and surgeon before your hernia repair 1
• The conduction delay itself does not necessarily preclude surgery, but the underlying cause (if any) needs to be identified 1
• Your surgical team may want cardiology clearance depending on the complete clinical picture 1

The key message: This is an electrical timing issue in your heart, not a physical blockage. However, it does require further cardiac evaluation to ensure there is no underlying structural heart disease before proceeding with elective surgery 1.