BCEN CEN Practice Question

While a heart rate below 60 bpm defines bradycardia, its clinical significance depends on the context. In a well-conditioned athlete, a low resting heart rate (athlete's heart) is a normal physiologic adaptation due to increased vagal tone and cardiac efficiency. This finding is typically asymptomatic and benign. In contrast, bradycardia associated with symptoms like dizziness or syncope, the initiation of rate-slowing medications like beta-blockers, or high-degree AV blocks on an EKG are all potentially pathologic findings that require further evaluation and possible intervention.