Solano Jhiamluka, Eni Gedoni, Viswanath Aishwarya, Enany Basem
Education, Academy of Medical Educators, Cardiff, GBR.
Cardiology, Scunthorpe General Hospital, Scunthorpe, GBR.
Cureus. 2024 Nov 18;16(11):e73959. doi: 10.7759/cureus.73959. eCollection 2024 Nov.
Ventricular arrhythmia is a critical and challenging cardiovascular complication of myocardial infarction (MI). An electrical storm (ES), characterised by three or more episodes of sustained ventricular arrhythmia within 24 hours, poses a significant life-threatening risk. Standard management includes advanced life support (ALS) protocols and specialised pharmacological interventions. We present the case of a 43-year-old female who presented to the emergency department (ED) following an out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation (OOHVF) arrest, with the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) achieved after multiple defibrillation shocks. Electrocardiography (ECG) revealed anterior ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) involving the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. During her ED stay, she experienced recurrent ventricular fibrillation (VF) arrests requiring repeated defibrillation, adrenaline, amiodarone, and thrombolysis with alteplase. She was subsequently intubated and transferred to a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) centre with intensive care support. Angiography confirmed a 100% occlusion of the LAD, which was successfully treated with stenting. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and later discharged with full neurological recovery, on secondary prevention and heart failure therapy, with follow-up planned. This case underscores the complexity of managing electrical storms in MI, particularly in non-PPCI centres. It emphasises the importance of thrombolysis as an early reperfusion strategy in STEMI, especially when PPCI is not immediately available.
室性心律失常是心肌梗死(MI)一种严重且具有挑战性的心血管并发症。电风暴(ES)的特征是24小时内发生三次或更多次持续性室性心律失常发作,会带来重大的生命威胁风险。标准治疗包括高级生命支持(ALS)方案和专门的药物干预措施。我们报告了一例43岁女性病例,该患者因院外心室颤动(OOHVF)心脏骤停后被送至急诊科(ED),经多次除颤电击后恢复自主循环(ROSC)。心电图(ECG)显示前壁ST段抬高型心肌梗死(STEMI),累及左前降支(LAD)动脉。在急诊科留观期间,她反复发生心室颤动(VF)心脏骤停,需要多次除颤、使用肾上腺素、胺碘酮以及用阿替普酶进行溶栓治疗。随后她被插管并在重症监护支持下转至初级经皮冠状动脉介入治疗(PPCI)中心。血管造影证实LAD完全闭塞,通过支架置入成功治疗。患者被收入重症监护病房(ICU),后来出院时神经功能完全恢复,接受二级预防和心力衰竭治疗,并计划进行随访。该病例强调了心肌梗死电风暴管理的复杂性,尤其是在非PPCI中心。它强调了溶栓作为STEMI早期再灌注策略的重要性,特别是在无法立即进行PPCI时。