Topic summary
Complete heart block
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Third-degree atrioventricular block.
Treatment
The 2005 Joint European Resuscitation and Resuscitation Council (UK) guidelines state that atropine is the first-line treatment especially if there were any adverse signs, namely: 1) heart rate < 40 bpm, 2) systolic blood pressure < 100 mm Hg, 3) signs of heart failure, and 4) ventricular arrhythmias requiring suppression. If these fail to respond to atropine or there is a potential risk of asystole, transvenous pacing is indicated. The risk factors for asystole include 1) previous asystole, 2) complete heart block with wide complexes, and 3) ventricular pause for > 3 seconds. Mobitz Type 2 AV block is another indication for pacing.