anyone have any insight about getting a first class with a right bundle branch block? one that shows up on the ecg with no prior history and otherwise excellent health? thanks.

 

Yeah, I have a left bundle branch block. Showed up on an EKG about 3.5 years ago. Here's what happened:

Fortunately, I take my medical early in the month. When the left (worse than the right or so my Doc says) bundle branch block was detected, my flight Doc got right on it. The first thing the cardiologist wanted was a stress test. I figured that meant the treadmill exercise test. Wrong. For a left bundle branch block the exercise test can sometimes give a false positive. So they used the chemical stress test.

It was just about the worst thing I've ever had. They inject something to speed your heart up. I was on the table feeling my heart racing, sweating and feeling like crap. Then they give you something else to bring you down and immediately give you a test like an MRI. It looks at something like 180 sections of your heart to determine if there is any damage.

There are three results for each of the sections of the test...damage, no damage or can't tell. I had ONE that came up Can't Tell. Guess what...no dice.

So the next step is an angiogram. A week or so later, you're scheduled into the hospital. They sedate you and go up through the big artery in your leg and do a visual check of your heart to see if you're damaged. In my case, I was clean as a whistle.

Once that test it completed, they send a letter to your FAA district office saying you're OK. You get a letter back acknowledging the fact that you have a bundle branch block and that you must immediately report ANY heart related problems to the FAA.

Once that is in your record the Doc will sign you off. In my case, it took a good three weeks to get all the ducks in a row.

For the next 3 years you have to report your cardiologist visit on your FAA medical. Other than that a bundle branch block is no big deal. Yeah, the ticker is working differently, but its working.

I've talked with guys who have the same thing and they haven't had any issues for 10 to 15 years.

Its a pain in the ass to get it evaluated and cleared, but if you have a Flight Surgeon and Cardiologist who cooperate, you can get it all done and all the hoops jumped through and not lose a day of flying.

Good luck, but don't worry. Its no big deal unless you've had some kind of heart failure in addition to the bundle branch failure.

 

Let me guess, first time flight physical EKG at 35, right?

I also have a right bundle brach block. I was pretty stunned when my AME told me, but then he signed off on it, and that was that....

Personally, I wasn't satisfied - career and all - and sought some more-expert opinion.

My dad was friends with one of the worlds foremost cardiologists in Houston, who has since passed away. 3D ultrasound of the heart etc., I can't even remember all the stuff really.
After all was said and done, he sat me down in his boardroom and told me to not worry about it...
This guy had signed autographs from just about anybody famous that needed heart help on the wall, so I figured that's good enough.

I still had doubts about what it all meant, but learned to let it go...

My advice to anybody in this field:
Get an EKG before you do your FAA mandated one at 35.
If there is any anomaly, document everything.
Get a second opinion. One AME might sign it off just like that, another might require all sorts of documentation...

I was prepared for my Delta physical and had a whole folder of stuff with me. They looked at the EKG and said it looked better than the one I brought so that was that...

YMMV
PM if you need any extra info...

Cheers
George

 

Georgetg, your ame signed your medical off at first discovery? I thought it had to run through OKC first?

 

I had a partial RBB diagnosed on my Australian Class 1 about 6 years ago. The Doc told me it wasn't a big deal and then went on to explain that a LBB had far more implications than a RBB.

When I came to do my FAA Class 1 a few months later, the Doc made no mention of anything out of the ordinary on my EKG. I explained what had come up on my Australian medical and he simply said "well it's not there now".

It's never come up since, either.

Best of luck.

 

Partial RBB, he signed OK on it initialed it and sent it to OKC...
Never heard anything since...

He told me not to worry about it.

Cheers
George

 

Interesting.

 

I have an incomplete RBBB, and my ame told on me. It took almost 45 days for the aeromedical branch to turn around and approve my medical(after jumping through their hoops). It is my understanding, the EKGor EEG is beamed directly to OKC while or after they run it.

 

The key word is INCOMPLETE. If you have a RBB, you will have to go through a full cardio vascular evaluation including stress test and possibly nuclear stress test to see if your RBB is caused by something serious. If you have an INCOMPLETE RBB, then your fine. I just went through all this in September. I have a INCOMPLETE RBB.

 

Thanks everybody!