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Complete heart block due to diphtheritic myocarditis in the present era

Mithun J Varghese1, Sivasubramanian Ramakrishnan, Shyam S Kothari

  • 1Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Annals of Pediatric Cardiology
|April 30, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Diphtheria can cause complete heart block in children. Aggressive management, including pacing, can lead to recovery in many cases of diphtheric myocarditis.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Diphtheria remains a global health concern.
  • Diphtheric myocarditis is a serious complication.
  • Complete heart block is a rare but life-threatening consequence of diphtheric myocarditis.

Observation:

  • This report details six pediatric cases of diphtheric myocarditis presenting with complete heart block.
  • The study observed the outcomes of these young patients.

Findings:

  • Three out of the six children survived.
  • One patient experienced persistent complete heart block post-treatment.
  • Aggressive supportive care, including transvenous pacing, was administered.

Implications:

  • Early and intensive management strategies are crucial for improving survival rates in children with diphtheric myocarditis and complete heart block.
  • Transvenous pacing can be a vital intervention for managing this severe cardiac complication.
  • Further research into optimal treatment protocols for diphtheric myocarditis is warranted.

Keywords:
Complete heart blockdiphtheriamyocarditis

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