title: Sudden cardiac arrest and coexisting mitral valve prolapse: a case report and literature review.
abstract: The aetiology of sudden cardiac arrest can often be identified to underlying cardiac pathology. Mitral valve prolapse is a relatively common valvular pathology with symptoms manifesting with increasing severity of mitral regurgitation (MR). It is unusual for severe MR to be present without symptoms, and there is growing evidence that this subset of patients may be at increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest or death. The difficulty lies in identifying those patients at risk and applying measures that are appropriate to halting progression to cardiac arrest. This article examines the association of mitral valve prolapse with cardiac arrests, the underlying pathophysiological process and the strategies for identifying those at risk.
authors.affiliation: Cardiothoracic Critical Care Department, St George's Hospital, London, UK msahmed80@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roshdy
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St George's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Rajan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Cardiothoracic Critical Care Department, St George's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fletcher
keywords: cardiac arrest; mitral regurgitation; mitral valve prolapse; sudden cardiac death