[A complete atrioventricular block during exertion]

Exercise-induced atrioventricular (AV) block in patients with normal electrocardiogram at rest is uncommon. We report the clinical features of two patients with AV block during treadmill test. The first patient was a woman of 54 years of age with presyncope on exercise. She developed complete AV block during exercise testing without evidence of ischemic myocardial disease. Electrophysiologic study documented distal AV block. The second patient was a man 31 years old who developed angina and third-degree AV block with depression of ST segment during treadmill test. Myocardial perfusion study suggested ischemic heart disease. He received anti-ischemic drugs with improvement of symptoms. A control exercise testing demonstrated normal AV conduction and electrophysiologic study was normal. In the first case, exercise AV block was probably due to abnormal His Purkinje conduction system refractoriness to autonomic modulation, while in second case AV block was secondary to ischemic heart disease. Third-degree AV block at exercise can be present in patients without conduction system abnormalities at rest. Exercise-induced infra-Hisian AV block must be treated with pacing until ischemic heart disease has been ruled out.