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Aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Acute atrioventricular block is caused by:

  • myocardial infarction:
    • complicates 15% of inferior myocardial infarcts because of transient AVN ischaemia
    • permanent block is unusual and the escape rhthym originates high in the conducting system
    • occasionally an anterior infarct interupts both bundle branches resulting in a slow unstable heart beat with bad prognosis
  • digitalis poisoning
  • diphtheria
  • virus infection

Chronic atrioventricular block is caused by:

  • idiopathic bundle branch fibrosis - accounts for 50% of cases in the elderly
  • chronic coronary disease
  • calcification of the aortic valve or mitral annulus infiltrating the conducting system
  • sarcoid
  • Chagas' disease
  • gumma

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