title: Congenital complete heart block in an infant with free plasma carnitine deficiency.
abstract: A newborn male presenting with congenital complete heart block was found to have low levels of free plasma carnitine. Among the many complications of carnitine deficiency is a structural disruption of myocardial tissue. A deficiency of carnitine may be causally related to the presence of cardiac dysrhythmias in this patient on the basis of mechanical disturbance to the cardiac conducting system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Erasmus
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tyrrell
mesh_terms: D000138:Acidosis / Q000209:etiology; D002331:Carnitine / Q000172:deficiency*; D006327:Heart Block / Q000151:congenital* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial
chemical_list: D002331:Carnitine