title: Early and late advanced atrioventricular block in acute inferior myocardial infarction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Advanced atrioventricular block is a frequent complication in patients with inferior acute myocardial infarction (AMI); in patients in hospital, it often occurs concurrently with other complications and is associated with high mortality. Very little information is available about early and late advanced atrioventricular block in inferior AMI. We hypothesized that the time of appearance of advanced atrioventricular block characterized by poor response to atropine requiring temporary pacemaker therapy may affect the prognosis of patients with inferior AMI.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 51 patients with inferior AMI and advanced atrioventricular block characterized by poor response to atropine requiring temporary pacemaker therapy. According to pre-established electrocardiographic criteria and the time of appearance of the advanced atrioventricular block, patients were divided into two groups: an early block group consisting of 30 patients who developed advanced atrioventricular block during the first 24 h of inferior AMI, and a late block group consisting of 21 patients who developed advanced atrioventricular block after the first 24 h of chest pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The groups were similar regarding age, coronary risk factors, frequency of right ventricular infarction, QRS score, atrial and ventricular rates, the time of return to first-degree atrioventricular block, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure and mortality. The early advanced atrioventricular block group included a greater number of men than did the late group (P = 0.017).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that the time of appearance of advanced atrioventricular block does not affect the prognosis of hospital patients with inferior AMI.
authors.affiliation: Trakya University, Faculty of Medicine, Cardiology Department, Edirne, Turkey.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Altun
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ozkan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gürçağan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kadi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ozçelik
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ozbay
mesh_terms: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001285:Atropine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006327:Heart Block / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D001285:Atropine