Electrocardiographic changes after head trauma.
We report the case of a patient who developed, a few days after a closed head injury, marked electrocardiographic changes mimicking an acute coronary event, in the absence of actual cardiac damage. The electrocardiographic changes were fully reversible, paralleling the neurologic status. Neuroimaging examinations excluded subarachnoid hemorrhage or space-occupying hematoma, but demonstrated diffuse axonal injury using susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance techniques. This kind of traumatic brain injury thus may be responsible for a pseudo-acute myocardial ischemic syndrome.
Wittebole
Xavier
X
Department of Intensive Care, University Hosital Saint-Luc, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels 1200, Belgium.
Hantson
Philippe
P
Laterre
Pierre-François
PF
Galvez
Ricardo
R
Duprez
Thierry
T
Dejonghe
Daniel
D
Renkin
Jean
J
Gerber
Bernhard L
BL
Brohet
Christian R
CR
D000328:Adult; D001146:Arrhythmia, Sinus / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020833:Diffuse Axonal Injury / Q000150:complications*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology