Transient AV Block as a Hemodynamic Complication of the Influenza A Virus: A Case Report

Influenza virus causes annual epidemics of respiratory illness characterized by sudden onset of fever, malaise, myalgias, headache, cough, and other respiratory complains. Each year in the United States, it is estimated that this debilitating respiratory illness accounts for 294,000 excess hospitalizations and 36,000 attributable deaths. Epidemiological studies describe increased cardiovascular mortality during influenza seasons. Cardiovascular involvement in acute influenza infection can occur through direct effects of the virus on the myocardium or through exacerbation of existing cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this report is to document a transient atrioventricular (AV) block with hemodynamic compromise after infection with the influenza virus in a patient with underlying cardiac disease without myocarditis.