Eltaib Abdelhalim, Abdelmageed Ahmed, Gill Aftab
Cardiology, Queen's Hospital Burton, Burton, GBR.
Internal Medicine, Queen's Hospital Burton, Burton, GBR.
Cureus. 2025 Jun 17;17(6):e86182. doi: 10.7759/cureus.86182. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in patients with epilepsy, particularly those with vagus nerve stimulators (VNS), is rare but clinically significant. We report the case of a 36-year-old woman with known epilepsy and a VNS implant who suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) following a witnessed tonic-clonic seizure. Emergency services identified ventricular fibrillation (VF), and successful defibrillation led to the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Initial investigations, including imaging and laboratory studies, were unremarkable. A multidisciplinary evaluation involving neurology and cardiology was undertaken to explore potential seizure-related cardiac mechanisms and the possible role of the VNS device. This case highlights the complex interplay between epilepsy, autonomic dysfunction, and arrhythmia, emphasising the importance of integrated care and further research into neurocardiac interactions in patients with epilepsy.
癫痫患者，尤其是植入迷走神经刺激器（VNS）的患者，发生心脏骤停（SCA）虽罕见，但具有临床意义。我们报告一例36岁女性病例，该患者患有癫痫且植入了VNS，在一次目击的强直阵挛发作后发生了院外心脏骤停（OHCA）。急救人员识别出室颤（VF），成功除颤后恢复了自主循环（ROSC）。包括影像学和实验室检查在内的初步检查均无异常。开展了一项涉及神经科和心内科的多学科评估，以探究潜在的与癫痫发作相关的心脏机制以及VNS装置可能发挥的作用。该病例凸显了癫痫、自主神经功能障碍和心律失常之间复杂的相互作用，强调了综合治疗以及对癫痫患者神经心脏相互作用进行进一步研究的重要性。
