An unique case suffering from repetitive syncope episodes due to ictal asystole

J Cardiol Cases. 2011 Apr 11;3(3):e149-e153. doi: 10.1016/j.jccase.2011.02.007. eCollection 2011 Jun.

Abstract

We present the case of a patient with syncope with repetition over 12 years, with a clinical profile not clearly related with a cardiogenic origin, who was studied by several medical specialties without any accurate diagnosis. After subcutaneous loop recorder implantation, we were able to demonstrate how seizures acted as a trigger in the genesis of an exaggerated cardio inhibitory reflex. A new entity has been described, known as "ictal asystole", in patients with focal epilepsy mostly from the temporal lobes and has been implicated as a cardiac cause of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy. We think this case could add new information about some patients who are at high risk of death but they are misdiagnosed.

Keywords: Cardiac asystole; Pacemaker; SUDEP; Temporal lobe epilepsy; Tradycardia.