[Myocardial infarction caused by accidental electrocution. Apropos of a case with an 8-year follow-up]

We report on a case of non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) after electrocution. The diagnosis was made on the basis of electrocardiographic and enzymatic changes and was supported by the results of two-dimensional echocardiogram and radio-nuclide scans, showing segmental hypoperfusion and wall motion abnormalities. The patient was followed for over 8 years, evaluating the evolution of cardiac damage with the above tests. MI associated with electrical injury is very likely overestimated, owing to the low specificity of classical diagnostic criteria, such as ECG changes and CK-MB elevation, and the short monitoring of survivors. We suggest that non-invasive functional methods, exploring myocardial perfusion and ventricular kinesis, and a longer follow-up can reliably assess the prevalence of this complication.