Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest caused by transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome

Int J Cardiol. 2008 Aug 1;128(1):e31-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2007.05.067. Epub 2007 Aug 10.

Abstract

We describe a case of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation in a patient with transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome. Our report confirms that left ventricular apical ballooning may have the same complications of myocardial infarction, adding the early ventricular fibrillation to the previous findings of left ventricular wall rupture, ventricular arrhythmias during hospitalization and complete atrio-ventricular block. Moreover, left ventricular apical ballooning may have different and unusual clinical onsets, including sudden cardiac death due to ventricular tachyarrhythmias in the absence of associated symptoms. Therefore, in our opinion left ventricular apical ballooning may be considered as a possible cause of sudden death in otherwise healthy women.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Letter

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Coronary Angiography
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Echocardiography
  • Electric Countershock
  • Electrocardiography
  • Female
  • Heart Arrest / diagnosis
  • Heart Arrest / etiology*
  • Heart Arrest / therapy
  • Humans
  • Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy / complications*
  • Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy / diagnosis
  • Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy / therapy
  • Ventricular Fibrillation / complications*
  • Ventricular Fibrillation / diagnosis
  • Ventricular Fibrillation / therapy