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Case Reports
. 2018 Apr 30;10(4):e2555.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.2555.

A Pacemaker that was Avoided

Affiliations
Case Reports

A Pacemaker that was Avoided

Husnain Waseem et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Thyroxine is an essential hormone in the human body and exerts many effects on the cardiovascular system. The low metabolic state in hypothyroidism causes bradycardia and reduced cardiac contractility leading to reduced cardiac output. Severe bradycardia and atrioventricular (AV) blocks secondary to hypothyroidism have also been reported. We present a case of severe hypothyroidism causing a high-grade AV block which was successfully treated with thyroxine hormone replacement without requiring cardiac pacemaker placement.

Keywords: heart block; hypothyroidism; pace maker.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. EKG on admission showing atrial fibrillation with slow ventricular rate
EKG: Electrocardiogram
Figure 2
Figure 2. EKG two years before admission showing first degree AV block with LBBB
EKG: electrocardiogram; AV: atrioventricular; LBBB: left bundle branch block
Figure 3
Figure 3. Atrial tachycardia with a variable high-grade AV block
AV: atrioventricular

References

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