Third-degree heart block during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery.

A 34-year-old parturient developed third-degree atrioventricular block, in the setting of hypotension, after spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. The arrhythmia fully resolved with anticholinergic and sympathomimetic drugs. Considering the increasing maternal morbidity and potential risk of maternal cardiac arrest, this critical state is reviewed, and a treatment algorithm is suggested.