Giant Cell Myocarditis: A Time Sensitive Distant Diagnosis

Abstract

Giant cell myocarditis is a rare type of rapidly progressive myocarditis. We present a dramatic case of giant cell myocarditis in a young female with an initial presentation of acute heart failure. Her clinical course was complicated with recurrent cardiac arrhythmias, specifically non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, for which a dual chamber automated implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD) was implanted. Eventually, she presented with cardiac arrest despite being on antiarrhythmic medication and an implantable defibrillator. In the right clinical context, such as an acute presentation of unexplained new-onset heart failure and arrhythmias in a young patient, it is very important to maintain high suspicion of such a rare disease.

Keywords: aicd; cardiac arrhythmia; cardiac mri; cardiomyopathy; congestive heart failure; endomyocardial biopsy; giant cell myocarditis; sudden cardiac death; ventricular tachycardia.