Abstract
BackgroundThe Bezold–Jarisch reflex (BJR) is a cardioinhibitory parasympathetic response to activation of ventricular mechanoreceptors, which can result in bradycardia, atrioventricular block, or asystole. This phenomenon has been triggered by acute myocardial ischaemia, intra-arterial nitroglycerine use, natriuretic peptides, and with exceptional rarity, in middle-aged women only, by dobutamine infusion during stress echocardiography.Case summaryWe present the case of a 61-year-old woman who suffered a 5.1-s sinus pause during her 20 μg/kg/min infusion of dobutamine. Recovery was immediate following termination of dobutamine infusion. Concurrent echocardiography was normal, and subsequent cardiac catheterization and electrophysiologic study were normal.DiscussionThis is the fifth documented case of a severe BJR causing asystole during dobutamine infusion, which adds to the accumulating evidence supporting the benign nature of the condition.
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