COMPLETE CONGENITAL ATRIOVENTRICULAR HEAR T-BLOCK IN NEONATAL LUPUS SYNDROME

Congenital complete heart block occurs in about one of every 22 000 li ve birth. Possible reasons are - disorders in the development of the A V-node without or with cardiac malformations (for example L-Transposit ion of the great arteries with ventricle inversion) or immunologic inf lammatory diseases. This last possibility is one manifestation in neon atal lupus syndrome. Maternal SSA/Ro antibodies play an important role . This form of AV-block is irreversible. Prognosis and approach to the AV-block depends mainly on the escape frequency and the signs of card iac failure. We describe the clinical course of a newborn with complet e congenital heart block as part of the neonatal lupus syndrome. At th e second day of life a pacemaker was inserted. The heart rate was 50 b eats per minute, cardiac failure was obvious.