A case of takotsubo cardiomyopathy with ventricular fibrillation after gastroenterological endoscopy

Clin J Gastroenterol. 2011 Apr;4(2):73-8. doi: 10.1007/s12328-010-0201-x. Epub 2011 Jan 15.

Abstract

We describe a case of takotsubo cardiomyopathy with ventricular fibrillation after gastroenterological endoscopy in a 66-year-old woman. Ten minutes after the upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopic examinations, the patient lost consciousness, went into respiratory arrest, and became cyanotic; an electrocardiogram (ECG) showed ventricular fibrillation. Electrical defibrillation was applied three times resulting in the patient's recovery. Subsequently, the ECG showed ST elevation in V2-V3; ultrasound cardiography showed a severely hyperkinetic base of the left ventricle, with the rest of the ventricle akinetic; and cardiac catheterization disclosed a normal coronary artery and normal contraction of the left ventricle.

Keywords: Gastroenterological endoscopy; Inverted T; Takotsubo cardiomyopathy; Ultrasound cardiography; Ventricular fibrillation.