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World J Cardiol. May 26, 2013; 5(5): 148-150
Published online May 26, 2013. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v5.i5.148
Published online May 26, 2013. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v5.i5.148
Heart stopping tick
Paras Karmacharya, Madan Raj Aryal, Department of Medicine, Reading Health System, West Reading, PA 19611, United States
Author contributions: Karmacharya P contributed to the conception; design, data collection and drafting the article; Aryal MR was involved in data collection, revision and editing the article for the final manuscript.
Correspondence to: Paras Karmacharya, MD, Department of Medicine, Reading Health System, Sixth and Spruce Street, West Reading, PA 19611, United States. karmacharyap@readinghosptial.org
Telephone: +1-347-8844423 Fax: +1-484-6289003
Received: January 9, 2013
Revised: April 10, 2013
Accepted: April 18, 2013
Published online: May 26, 2013
Processing time: 143 Days and 19.7 Hours
Revised: April 10, 2013
Accepted: April 18, 2013
Published online: May 26, 2013
Processing time: 143 Days and 19.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Seventeen-year man presented with acute chest discomfort following a tick bite 5 wk back. His hospital course was complicated with the development of first degree AV block which rapidly deteriorated to total AV block. Due to high grade of suspicion of lyme disease and positive lyme enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Lyme IgM (Western blotting), treatment with Ceftriaxone and doxycycline was started with complete remission. It is important to consider the reversible causes of complete AV block since appropriate therapy can avoid the need for permanent pacemaker insertion.