Sudden cardiac arrest as first symptom of a benign cardiac tumor growth

Abstract

Primary cardiac tumors are rare, especially in the pediatric age. Most of them are benign in the sense they are not invasive. However, benign tumors maintain the potential for serious illness related to significant hemodynamic compromise or life-threatening dysrhythmias. We present the case of an infant with an initial diagnosis of cardiac rhabdomyoma who suffered ventricular arrhythmia and cardiac arrest. He suffered irreversible severe neurologic sequelae, due to his prolonged cardiopulmonary arrest and was finally diagnosed of cardiac fibroma. Good arrhythmia control was obtained after an extensive partial surgical resection of the tumor. This case highlights the importance of arrhythmia burden in this condition. A correct diagnosis based essentially in different imaging modalities and closer clinical and rhythm follow up could have avoided this ominous event.

Keywords

• Tumors
• Pediatrics
• Cardiac arrest