Indian Pacing and Electrophysiology Journal (Mar 2022)

Unusual presentation of supraventricular tachycardia degenerating into ventricular fibrillation during pregnancy: Aortocaval compression the probable culprit

  • Abhisheik Prashar,
  • Sarah Ming Li Tan,
  • Andrew Hopkins,
  • Rahn Ilsar

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 2
pp. 103 – 107

Abstract

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Cardiac arrhythmias are common and often benign in pregnancy. However, haemodynamic instability can occur when tachyarrhythmias are accompanied by aortocaval compression, which can lead to loss of cardiac output. We present an atypical case of a pregnant woman with a supraventricular tachyarrhythmia, which degenerated into ventricular fibrillation arrest while supine due to aortocaval compression. Inducible atypical atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia was subsequently detected on electrophysiological study and presumed to be the most likely initial supraventricular tachyarrhythmia.

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