A rare cause of 2: 1 Atrioventricular block and congestive heart failure in preterm infants: Hypocalsemia

Abstract

Atrioventricular (AV) block in the neonatal period is a rare disorder. It is frequently associated with underlying structural congenital heart disease and maternal lupus. Presently described is premature baby who developed 2:1 AV block and congestive heart failure due to hypocalcemia. Dramatic clinical improvement was observed following treatment of intravenous 10% calcium gluconate. Therefore, it is suggested that serum calcium level of newborns with AV block and congestive heart failure be measured.

Impact of Hypocalcemia on the Prognosis of Patients with Acute Myocarditis

“…Although tachycardia caused by hypocalcemia is common, AVB has only been reported in a few cases and the exact mechanism remains unclear. [33][34][35][36][37][38] In the present study, the incidence rates of both AVB and VT/VF were higher in the hypocalcemia group than in the normal serum calcium group, suggesting that hypocalcemia led to severe arrhythmias. Moreover, VT/VF was the most common cause of death among the acute viral myocarditis patients in this study.…”

“…Dramatic clinical improvement was observed upon treatment with intravenous 10% calcium gluconate in several case reports of arrhythmias. [33][34][35][36][37][38] However, in other cases of critical illness, calcium supplementation has been shown to increase mortality rates. 39) Furthermore, no evidence that calcium supplementation reduces mortality among overall ICU patients is yet available.…”