heart block

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. a defect in the electrical impulses of the heart resulting in any of various arrhythmias or irregularities in the heartbeat.

---

heart block British  

noun

1. Also called: Adams-Stokes syndrome.   atrioventricular block.  impaired conduction or blocking of the impulse that regulates the heartbeat, resulting in a lack of coordination between the beating of the atria and the ventricles

---

Etymology

Origin of heart block

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

As part of the campaign, George will continue to swap stories with other people on red benches around the UK about their heart block experiences.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

After a week of relentless media queries, doctors revealed to the public what Netanyahu, 73, had kept hidden for 20 years: a chronic, generally asymptomatic but potentially fatal conduction disorder or heart block.

From Slate • Jul. 31, 2023

THE FACTS: In October, the FAA widened the acceptable parameters it uses when screening pilots for a specific heart condition called heart block, or AV block.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2023

Not long before, he had been diagnosed with a heart block, but he declined the doctor’s admonitions to have a pacemaker installed.

From The Guardian • Jul. 3, 2017

If the pulse is intermittent and there is apparently a heart block.

From Disturbances of the Heart by Osborne, Oliver T. (Oliver Thomas)