title: Brugada syndrome as a potential cardiac risk factor during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
abstract: A case of asystole (> 5 s) during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is reported in a patient who was subsequently diagnosed to have Brugada syndrome (BS). This hereditary sodium-channelopathy is characterized by typical, though intermittent, ECG abnormalities and carries a high risk of ventricular arrythmia and sudden cardiac death. The general occurence of BS is rare; however, it is more prevalent in men and in southeast Asian populations. As in the reported case, BS carriers may lack a telltale medical history and can present with normal ECG recordings. In these cases, BS can only be unmasked by repeated ECG recordings over time or by specialist cardiological examinations. To our knowledge, BS, which was first characterized in 1992, has not yet been in the focus of cardiac complications during ECT. However, as the presented case illustrates, this syndrome should be considered as a rare but potentially severe cardiac risk factor in the context of ECT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany. christian.luckhaus@lvr.de
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luckhaus
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hennersdorf
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Markus W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Agelink
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zielasek
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cordes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D053840:Brugada Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index