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Case Reports
Brugada pattern exposed with administration of amiodarone during emergent treatment of ventricular tachycardia.
- Douglas Robinson, Gregory Hand, Jason Ausman, and Anthony Hackett.
- Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Emergency Medicine Residency, 36065 Santa Fe Ave, Fort Hood, TX 76544, United States of America. Electronic address: Douglas.Robinson@rvu.edu.
- Am J Emerg Med. 2019 Feb 1; 37 (2): 376.e3-376.e7.
BackgroundBrugada pattern is a well-known pathological finding on electrocardiogram (ECG) which increases the likelihood of cardiac arrest due to ventricular arrhythmia. These cases generally present in younger patients without evidence of an electrolyte abnormality, structural heart disease, or cardiac ischemia. In many instances, this pattern is either hidden on initial presentation or presents as an incidental finding on an EKG. Often times the Brugada syndrome leads to sudden cardiac death or more rarely can be unmasked with a class 1A or 1C anti-arrhythmic agent. Here, we present a distinctive case in which the pattern was exposed by amiodarone during the emergent treatment of Ventricular Tachycardia (VT).Case ReportA 34-year-old female, without significant cardiac history, presented to the Emergency Department after multiple near syncopal episodes at home. Initial ECG showed VT vs. SVT. After a failed trial of adenosine, the patient was treated with 150 mg amiodarone and became hypotensive needing an electrical cardioversion. After becoming bradycardic, the amiodarone drip was discontinued and she was admitted to the MICU. An echocardiogram and left heart catheterization showed no evidence of coronary artery disease or decreased ejection fraction. The patient's ECG now showed a subtle Brugada Type 3 pattern and she received a dual chamber AICD upon discharge.ConclusionThis case emphasizes the awareness needed to seek out this pattern on subsequent ECG's. With the high lethality of Brugada, the emergency physician must recognize that multiple drugs can evoke this pattern after initial presentation.Published by Elsevier Inc.
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