title: Cardiac rupture during electroconvulsive therapy.
abstract: A 57-year-old man with recurrent depression, resistant to drug therapy, was scheduled for a course of eight electroconvulsive therapy treatments. The patient had undergone seven treatments without incident over the previous 3 weeks. Immediately following the final treatment, the patient suffered cardiovascular collapse, culminating in cardiac arrest with electromechanical dissociation. Despite resuscitative measures, the patient died. Post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be cardiac tamponade, secondary to cardiac rupture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Tidmarsh
mesh_terms: D002305:Cardiac Tamponade / Q000209:etiology*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006342:Heart Rupture, Post-Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged