Key result
Four hospitalized COVID-19 patients who developed transient high-degree atrioventricular block did not require permanent pacing.
Why the study?
SARS-CoV-2 affects the cardiovascular system and causes cardiac arrhythmias, but high-degree atrioventricular block had been less commonly characterized than tachyarrhythmias in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Does conservative management avoid the need for permanent pacing in hospitalized COVID-19 patients who develop high-degree AV block?
Case Report (n=4)
Does conservative management avoid the need for permanent pacing in hospitalized COVID-19 patients who develop high-degree AV block?
High-degree AV block in hospitalized COVID-19 patients appears to be transient, suggesting conservative management is preferable to immediate permanent pacing.
Caution against routine pacing for transient COVID-19 AV block; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation.
AIMS: The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has shown the potential to significantly affect the cardiovascular system. Cardiac arrhythmias are commonly reported complications in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: While tachyarrhythmias seem most common, we describe four cases of COVID-19 patients who developed a transient high-degree atrioventricular (AV) block during the course of their hospitalization. All four patients who developed a high-degree AV block during their hospitalization with COVID-19 did not require permanent pacing. CONCLUSION: Similarly to most AV blocks associated with infectious organisms and given its transient nature, this case series suggests that conservative management strategies should be preferred in COVID-19 patients who develop complete heart block.
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Dagher et al. (2020) conducted a case report in COVID-19 (n=4). COVID-19 infection was evaluated on Requirement for permanent pacing. Four hospitalized COVID-19 patients who developed transient high-degree atrioventricular block did not require permanent pacing.
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