Tricuspid valve regurgitation and lithium carbonate toxicity in a newborn infant
R. G. Arnon, J. Marin-Garcia and J. N. Peeden
A newborn with massive tricuspid regurgitation, atrial flutter, congestive
heart failure, and a high serum lithium level is described. This is the
first patient to initially manifest tricuspid regurgitation and atrial
flutter, and the 11th described patient with cardiac disease among infants
exposed to lithium compounds in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Sixty-three percent of these infants had tricuspid valve involvement.
Lithium carbonate may be a factor in the increasing incidence of congenital
heart disease when taken during early pregnancy. It also causes neurologic
depression, cyanosis, and cardiac arrhythmia when consumed prior to
delivery.
