Prehospital Sinus Node Dysfunction and Asystole in a Previously Healthy Patient with COVID-19

Prehosp Emerg Care. 2022 May-Jun;26(3):450-454. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2021.1924325. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Abstract

We report a case of a previously healthy 47-year-old female with syncope due to multiple episodes of nodal dysfunction and asystole. During these brief episodes, she was hypoxic in the mid-80's as a result of COVID-19 pneumonia. The patient was admitted and treated for viral pneumonia and found to have normal electrocardiograms (ECG's), normal troponin levels and a normal echocardiogram during her hospital stay. As she recovered from COVID-19, no further episodes of bradycardia or bradyarrhythmia were noted. This case highlights a growing body of evidence that arrhythmias, specifically bradycardia, should be anticipated by prehospital providers as a potential cardiac complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; EMS; asystole; bradycardia.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac
  • Bradycardia / etiology
  • Bradycardia / therapy
  • COVID-19* / complications
  • Emergency Medical Services*
  • Female
  • Heart Arrest* / etiology
  • Heart Arrest* / therapy
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Sick Sinus Syndrome / complications
  • Sick Sinus Syndrome / diagnosis
  • Sick Sinus Syndrome / therapy