Coronary Fistula Between Left Anterior Descending Artery (LAD) and Pulmonary Artery (PA) Leading to Sudden Cardiac Death: Case Report with Literature Review

Abstract

Coronary Artery Fistulas (CAF) are inappropriate connections between a coronary artery and a major vessel or a cardiac chamber. These fistulas may or may not present with symptoms, but they need to be detected as early as possible in order to decide the most appropriate treatment methodology (i.e. surgery vs. conservative management). We report the case of a 67-year-old female with no modifiable cardiovascular risk factors who had an unwitnessed sudden death at home during her ongoing evaluation of a fistula detected incidentally between the Left Anterior Descending Artery (LAD) and the Pulmonary Artery (PA). This case highlights that early diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic CAF are crucial to minimize the risk of sudden cardiac death. Although the symptomatic fistula of LAD to PA has been reported in the literature multiple times, it has been rarely reported that this fistula can result in sudden cardiac death.

Keywords: Coronary fistula; angina; congenital coronary artery disease; dyspnea; fistula between LAD and pulmonary artery; heart failure..