Postoperative death in a patient with unrecognized arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia syndrome.
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia is an inherited disease causing fatty replacement of heart tissue. This disease often presents as T-wave inversion in the anterior leads of the electrocardiogram (ECG) with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. In older patients, progressive right and left ventricular failure can develop. This is a case report of postoperative death occurring in a 59-yr-old woman with undiagnosed arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia after hepatic cystectomy. The patient had T-wave inversion in the inferior ECG leads and no history of arrhythmias. During general anesthesia, cardiovascular collapse occurred in the absence of arrhythmias that was unresponsive to resuscitation.
Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 27 Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, West Malaysia. tohkhaywee@hotmail.com
Khay-Wee
KW
Toh
Kasinathan
K
Nadesan
Ming Yao
MY
Sie
Raja
R
Vijeyasingam
Patrick Seow Koon
PS
Tan
D000758:Anesthesia; D019571:Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D003560:Cysts / Q000601:surgery; D004562:Electrocardiography; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000473:pathology; D012770:Shock, Cardiogenic / Q000209:etiology