An Unusual Case of Vasospastic Angina Resulting in Multiple Episodes of Cardiac Arrest

Francisco d'Orey; Joao Nuno Patricio; Maria Inês Ribeiro; Hugo Côrte-Real

doi:10.7759/cureus.51944

An Unusual Case of Vasospastic Angina Resulting in Multiple Episodes of Cardiac Arrest

Cureus. 2024 Jan 9;16(1):e51944. doi: 10.7759/cureus.51944. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Authors

Francisco d'Orey¹, Joao Nuno Patricio², Maria Inês Ribeiro³, Hugo Côrte-Real⁴

Affiliations

¹ Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, PRT.
² Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Loures, PRT.
³ Critical Care, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, PRT.
⁴ Intensive Care Department, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisbon, PRT.

Abstract

Coronary vasospasm is a well-recognized cause of angina (also known as Prinzmetal angina) and a common cause of admissions to the emergency department and coronary intensive care units. It is however an uncommon cause of cardiac arrest. We describe a patient with multiple episodes of chest pain followed by cardiac arrest in pulseless electrical activity (PEA) due to coronary vasospasm. Telemetry and electrocardiography showed ST-segment elevation followed by PEA. Each event was short-lived and resolved after a maximum of six minutes of advanced life support measures. The patient was started on treatment with a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (CCB) and nitroglycerin patch with no further episodes recorded to date.

Keywords: coronary vessel anomaly; in hospital cardiac arrest; prinzmetal’s angina; vasospastic angina; vasospastic disorders.

Publication types

Case Reports