title: A cardiac arrest: when recommended mild therapeutic hypothermia reveals the mechanism*.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Describe the interaction between the use of mild induced hypothermia and acute diffuse coronary spasm.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the case of a 52-yr-old Caucasian woman resuscitated after initial cardiac arrest, with normal postresuscitation electrocardiogram, sufficient hemodynamic conditions, and decreased level of consciousness, who received mild induced hypothermia to reduce brain damage as suggested by cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After the beginning of mild therapeutic hypothermia, the patient experienced malignant diffuse coronary artery spasm, so-called Prinzmetal's angina, leading to myocardial ischemia and ventricular tachycardia, which was only resolved by intracoronary vasodilator injection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mild induced hypothermia was apparently the trigger of a severe and diffuse coronary artery spasm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Intensive Cardiac Care, Hôpital Universitaire, Clermont-Ferrand, France. guillaume.maz@voila.fr
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazières
authors.forename: Géraud
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Souteyrand
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eschalier
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guérin
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Motreff
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D008875:Middle Aged