Causes And Complications Linked To Sick Sinus Syndrome

Scar Tissue From Previous Heart Surgery

The presence of scar tissue from previous heart surgery can cause an individual to develop sick sinus syndrome. Scarring or fibrosis of the sinus node may occur as a result of sinoatrial artery stenosis, a clot in the sinoatrial artery, rheumatic fever, pericarditis, diphtheria, Lyme disease, Chagas disease, amyloidosis, hemochromatosis, scleroderma, or other inflammatory and infiltrative diseases. Because the body naturally repairs damage to its tissues by replacing it with scar tissue, the damage from a previous heart surgery will not heal back to its original state. Healthy cardiac muscle tissue is conductive and flexible, while scar tissue is dense, fibrous, and is not conductive. Scar tissue forms in the heart near the sinus node as the body repairs local surgical damage. This change of tissue characteristics may interfere with the healthy function of the sinus node. Scarring can cause the sinoatrial node to fire too early, too late, or fire less frequently than it should. Such abnormalities of the sinoatrial node are what characterizes sick sinus syndrome.

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