Causal Link between Ventricular Ectopy and Concussion

We present a unique case study report of a male individual with a history of mild nonischaemic cardiomyopathy, with no ventricular ectopy, that at the age of 76 years sustained multiple concussions (i.e., mild traumatic brain injury) within a week of each other. Concussion symptoms included cognitive difficulties, "not feeling well," lethargy, fatigue, and signs of depression. He was later medically diagnosed with postconcussion syndrome. The patient, WJT, was referred for cardiac and neurological assessment. Structural neuroimaging of the brain (MRI) was unremarkable, but electrocardiography (ECG) assessments using a 24-hour Holter monitor revealed significant incidence of ventricular ectopy (9.4%; 9,350/99,836 beats) over a period of 5-6 months after injury and then a further increase in ventricular ectopy to 18% (15,968/88,189 beats) during the subsequent 3 months. The patient was then prescribed Amiodarone 200 mg, and his ventricular ectopy and concussion symptoms completely resolved simultaneously within days. To the authors' knowledge, our study is the first to show a direct link between observable and documented cardiac dysregulation and concussion symptomology. Our study has important implications for both cardiac patients and the patients that sustain a concussion, and if medically managed with appropriate pharmacological intervention, it can reverse ventricular ectopy and concussion symptomology. More research is warranted to investigate the mechanisms for this dramatic and remarkable change in cardiac and cerebral functions and to further explore the brain-heart interaction and the intricate autonomic interaction that exists between the extrinsic and intracardiac nervous systems.