A Case Report of Complete Atrioventricular Block Treatment with <italic>Samulanshin-tang-gamibang</italic> and Acupuncture

Abstract

Introduction: This study reports the effect of herbal medicine (<i>Samulanshin-tang-gamibang</i>) and acupuncture on complete atrioventricular (AV) block.Case presentation: A 63-year-old female with complete AV block was experiencing dyspnea, palpitation, dizziness, headache, bradycardia, and insomnia, and she was treated with <i>Samulanshin-tang-gamibang</i> and acupuncture for 12 days. To evaluate the treatment, a numeric rating scale (NRS) and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification was used. The patient’s NRS scores decreased from 6 to 2 for dyspnea and palpitation and from 5 to 1 for dizziness and headache. Her NYHA Class improved from Class II to Class I. No side effects were observed during treatment.Conclusion: This study suggests that herbal medicine and acupuncture may be effective in relieving symptoms caused by complete AV block. However, the long-term effects of the treatment were not observed, and so further studies are still needed.