Case report Male, 35 years old, smoker, user of illicit drugs (marijuana, cocaine and inhalant solvents), on antipsychotics and antidepressants (haloperidol and escitalopram), several episodes of vomiting and diarrhea for the past two days, mental confusion at home, and admitted to the emergency room with reduced level of consciousness and irregular breathing. Soon afterwards, he presented cardiopulmonary arrest (CRP) with ventricular fibrillation (VF) on the cardiac monitor. After six minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers, adrenaline infusion and two cardiac defibrillations, […]

Abstract Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is considered an often underdiagnosed acute coronary syndrome, with few cases described in literature. Its association with physical exercise among young patients without risk factors or atherosclerotic disease (CAD) is even rarer. For this reason, a study was conducted on the subject, describing the clinical conditions, conduct and evolution regarding the suspicion of spontaneous exercise-related coronary artery dissection in three young patients without risk factors or CAD. Clinical conditions varied, with predominant recurrent chest […]

Abstract Young competitive athletes (≤ 35 years old) with or without a previous diagnosis of cardiovascular disease may suddenly die in competitive activities, potentially leading to an impact in society through the media. Although the relative risk for sudden death (SD) in athletes is twice as high as for their counterparts, the absolute incidence is low. While there is consensus among medical societies worldwide that early detection of causal factors is highly desirable, there is debate among different screening schemes […]

Abstract Background: Sudden cardiac death is the most frequent death mechanism in Chagas disease, responsible for 55% to 65% of the deaths of patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC). The most often involved electrophysiological mechanisms are ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. The implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has a beneficial role in preventing sudden death due to malignant ventricular arrhythmias, and, thus the correct identification of patients at risk is required. The association of microvolt T-wave alternans (MTWA) with the appearance […]

Introduction Regular physical activity practice benefits individuals of all ages, sexes and ethnicities. If on one hand the practice of moderate exercise is considered a healthy activity that favors the cardiovascular system, on the other, high-intensity exercise for a long period can increase the risk for sudden death (SD). Even considering the huge number of individuals exercising daily, SD in that context is rare. However, the prevention of SD can be difficult and it has significant repercussion, mainly among young […]

Introduction Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in young adults is frequently caused by inherited cardiac diseases, particularly cardiomyopathies and ion channelopathies. Genetic testing can be essential in the follow-up of survivors and today´s genetic diagnostics may include the parallel analysis of several SCA related genes, most commonly those associated with ion channelopathies and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC). We present the case of a young survivor of SCA, carrier of double heterozygosity for mutations in the SNC5A and MYBPC3 genes, illustrating the complexity […]