ABSTRACT… Objectives: To determine the outcome in patients with bradycardia after discontinuation of rate slowing drugs in terms of frequency of persistent bradycardia. Study Design: Descriptive study. Setting: Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology, Cardiology Department. Period: 2013-2014. Materials and Methods: Pulse and ECG were used to identify the patients and after obtaining informed consent, total 95 patients of bradycardia were included from emergency. Patients with persistent bradycardia were noted after 5 days of discontinuation of culprit drug. Results: Among total 95 patients, 46(48.4%) were male and 49(51.6%) were female. Patients with rate limiting drugs include β blockers 79(75.8%), CCBs 19(20%) and digoxin 4(4.2%). Patients presented to hospital have sinus bradycardia 3(3.2%), 2 nd degree AV block 19(20%) and 3 rd degree AV block 73(76.8%). After 5 days of discontinuation of culprit drug, bradycardia persisted in 32(69.6%) male, 37(75.5%) female patients with sinus bradycardia persisted in 1(33.3%), 2 nd degree AV block in 7(36.8%) and 3 rd degree AV block in 61(83.6%). Conclusion: In majority of patient on rate slowing drug, bradycardia persisted after discontinuation of these drugs. Bradycardia was not truly drug induced, but it was due to underlying conducting system disease which was unmasked by rate slowing drugs.
Key words:Bradycardia, Persistent Bradycardia, Rate Slowing Drugs, β-Blocker, Digoxin, Non Dihydropyridine Calcium Channel Blocker, Underlying Conducting System Disease. Article Citation: Abbas S, Fatima S, Hameed N, Qasim M. Persistent bradycardia; The outcome in patients with bradycardia after discontinuation of rate slowing drugs in terms of frequency.