Abstract

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a fatal condition, with a subsequent variety of complications. Although rare, the ensuing presentation of atrial fibrillation (AF) secondary to PE is evident in the literature. However, there has been no report of AF with slow ventricular response requiring a pacemaker as a complication of PE.

Case presentation: A 78-year-old obese female presented to the emergency room with new onset dyspnea. Computed tomography pulmonary angiogram revealed bilateral PE. Twenty-four hours later, the patient developed new onset AF with slow ventricular response. Therefore, a single chamber pacemaker was implanted.

Conclusion: PE causing AF with slow ventricular response has not been reported or explained in the literature. The mechanism of this complication is yet to be understood and will require further investigation to explain this newly presented relationship.

Keywords: Arrhythmia; Atrial fibrillation; Case report; Pacemaker; Pulmonary embolism; Slow.

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

All the procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments; or with comparable ethical standards.

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Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images and videos. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the editor of this journal.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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