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

doi:10.1016/j.ipej.2022.01.002

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

Indian Pacing Electrophysiol J. 2022 Mar-Apr;22(2):103-107. doi: 10.1016/j.ipej.2022.01.002. Epub 2022 Jan 11.

Authors

Abhisheik Prashar¹, Sarah Ming Li Tan², Andrew Hopkins³, Rahn Ilsar⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiology, St George Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2217, Australia; University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia. Electronic address: a.prashar@unsw.edu.au.
² University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia; Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, 119074, Singapore.
³ Department of Cardiology, St George Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2217, Australia; University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia.
⁴ Department of Cardiology, St George Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2217, Australia.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Aortocaval compression syndrome; Atypical atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia; Cardiac arrest; Pregnancy; Supraventricular tachycardia; Ventricular fibrillation.

Publication types

Case Reports