In the condition known as complete heart block, what happens?
The mitral valve leaflets calcify and close, preventing blood from being pumped efficiently by the left side of the heart.
Blood flow through the foramen ovale is blocked.
Coronary arteries are blocked by plaques, preventing blood and oxygen from reaching the myocardial contractile cells.
Electrical signals from the SA node never reach the ventricles, so the contraction of the atria is not coordinated with the contraction
of the ventricles.
The fibrous skeleton of the heart breaks down, interfering with the passage of blood from the atria to the ventricles.