Delayed cardiac asystole after percuteneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty

Percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty (PMBV) is the preferred treatment in mitral stenosis patients with appropriate valve anatomy, but it may cause arrhythmic complications rarely. In the literature, the mortality rate associated with PMBV has been reported as 1%, and a small number of patients developed atrioventricular block during the process. In this report, we describe a 53-year-old female patient with severe rheumatic mitral stenosis who developed Mobitz type 2 atrioventricular block and asystole after a successful PMBV operation. Sinus rhythm was achieved with atropine in this patient. It was thought that the arrhythmia resulted from calcified plaques on the mitral valve or from conduction system damage due to high balloon pressure during the process. For the recognition and treatment of possible arrhythmic complications, it is important to monitor patients in the intensive care unit for at least 24 hours after PMBV.