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Published on: August 18, 2016
Recurrent cardiac arrest and complete atrioventricular block due to idiopathic coronary vasospasm: A case report
Wei Gao1,2,3,4, Yingwu Liu1,2,3,4, Tong Li1,2,3,4
1Department of Heart Center, The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, 83 Jintang Road, Hedong District, Tianjin, 300170, China.
Abstract:
Recurrent complete atrioventricular block induced by coronary spasm is rare. We present a case of a 47-year-old woman who suffered from two episodes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest within one year due to complete atrioventricular block caused by coronary vasospasm. No implantable cardioverter defibrillator was implanted after her first episode. As for the second episode, permanent brain injury was left behind despite successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. She underwent a challenging rehabilitation process and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator was implanted before discharge. We captured the dynamic changes of the electrocardiogram during the episode with high temporal resolution. This case illustrates the importance of recognizing coronary spasm as a potential cause of complete atrioventricular block and highlights the need for implantable cardioverter defibrillator in such patients to improve survival and quality of life.
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