Early-onset cardiomyopathy after pacemaker implanted in a preterm infant with congenital complete heart block and anti-ro/ssa antibodies

Abstract

Congenital complete heart block is a potentially fatal complication that can occur in neonates whose mothers have autoimmune disorders; it has rarely been reported in the presence of Sjögren syndrome. Pacemaker implantation is recommended to treat rhythm abnormalities in these neonates. We report the case of a late-preterm infant with Sjögren-syndrome-antibody–induced complete heart block who underwent temporary bipolar epicardial pacing as a bridge to permanent pacemaker implantation. Soon after the pacemaker was implanted, takotsubo cardiomyopathy developed. To our knowledge, this is the first report of reversible cardiomyopathy after pacemaker implantation in an infant. (Tex Heart Inst J 2021;48(2):e197201).