Sudden cardiac death during ambulatory ECG monitoring. A report of 2 cases.
Two cases of sudden cardiac death during ambulatory ECG monitoring, each with an episode of torsade de pointes as part of the terminal dysrhythmia, are reported. In the first case, pause-dependent changes of the TU waves favour early after-depolarisations and triggered activity as the initiating mechanism of torsade. Quinidine therapy was probably an aggravating factor. Torsade was not initiated in a pause-dependent fashion in the second patient, who had ECG evidence of an episode of ischaemia as trigger for the terminal dysrhythmia. Both patients had impaired left ventricular function and underlying coronary artery disease.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pretoria.
J C
JC
Badenhorst
J M
JM
Bennett
S
S
Konstantinides
F J
FJ
van Niekerk
D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000150:complications*; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000150:complications*