International journal of cardiology
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Letter Case Reports
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy as a potential cause of long QT syndrome and torsades de pointes.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an increasingly reported syndrome characterized by transient apical left ventricular dysfunction in absence of flow limiting coronary artery disease. Prolongation of QT interval associated with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy has been previously reported in published case series but none of these series reported occurrence of torsades de pointes. ⋯ The patient had a complete recovery of cardiac function in a week. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy should be considered among the causes of long QT syndrome and torsades de pointes.
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Letter Case Reports
Automated continuous chest compression for in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation of patients with pulseless electrical activity: a report of five cases.
Of patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest, those with pulseless electrical activity (PEA) have the worst outcome. Especially in these patients effective chest compressions according to the guidelines may be the key strategy to improve survival. Recently, a novel automatic mechanical chest compression device (LUCAS-CPR) has been shown to ensure effective continuous compressions without interruption during transport, diagnostic procedures and in the catheter laboratory, and may thus significantly improve outcome after resuscitation of in-hospital cardiac arrest. We report here on the first five well documented cases of in-hospital resuscitation of PEA using the LUCAS-CPR compression device.