[An unusual cause of cardiac arrest]

The long QT syndrome is characterized by the observed association of "torsade de pointes" and the prolongation of the QT interval on the electrocardiogram. Acquired long QT syndrome typically affects older individuals, being often associated with the action of some drugs. Hypokalemia is a frequent cause of QT lengthening on the electrocardiogram. Chronic assumption of licorice may be an unusual cause of hypokalemia, due to its mineralocorticoid-like action. In this paper we describe a case of cardiac arrest due to "torsade de pointes" resulting from a marked hypokalemia caused by the patient's habit of eating daily a not negligible quantity of licorice.