This case report highlights a rare instance of sudden death due to complete heart block and asystole in a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy.
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Documents monitored sudden death from complete heart block in dilated cardiomyopathy; leaves open whether earlier pacing alters risk in similar patients.
An 18-year-old male presented with biventricular failure and atrial fibrillation. Detailed investigations revealed the diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy. He was put on medical treatment which resulted in symptomatic improvement. One year later he presented with 2 episodes of syncope, with no change in the routine electrocardiogram. A 24-hour ambulatory monitoring was done. The patient died suddenly while on the monitor. Analysis of the terminal event revealed a sudden complete heart block followed by asystole, an event described very rarely in the published literature.
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Radhakrishnan et al. (1988) studied this question.
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