Key result
Catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias can result in very late post-procedural cardiac tamponade, as demonstrated by a patient developing hemorrhagic tamponade 19 days post-procedure.
Why the study?
Cardiac tamponade after catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias typically occurs during or shortly after the procedure, but delayed presentations can also occur.
Case Report (n=1)
No
This case demonstrates that potentially fatal delayed cardiac tamponade can occur weeks after catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias, even in the absence of antithrombotic treatment.
Suggests vigilance for delayed tamponade after VA ablation; single case leaves incidence and risk factors open.
BACKGROUND: Cardiac tamponade is a potentially fatal complication after catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias. It often happens during or shortly after the procedure and needs urgent treatment. Here, we present a very incredible case about delayed cardiac tamponade after ablation of premature ventricular complexes. CASE PRESENTATION: A 66-year-old woman who underwent successful catheter ablation of right ventricular outflow tract origin premature ventricular complexes. Nineteen days after ablation, the patient experienced sudden syncope. Upon arriving at our hospital, she was "confused and shock". Transthoracic echocardiography revealed hemorrhagic cardiac tamponade, which was considered due to a delayed tiny perforation in the heart induced by the previous ablation. Following an emergent pericardiocentesis to drain a 200 mL hemorrhagic effusion, the patient's hemodynamics improved significantly. The patient was discharged after a 2-week hospitalization for investigating other probable causes with negative results. No signs of pericardial effusion recurred in a follow-up time of 12 months. CONCLUSION: This case report demonstrated, for the first time, that very late post-procedural cardiac tamponade might occur after catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias, even without antithrombotic treatment.
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Xu et al. (2020) conducted a case report in Premature ventricular complexes (n=1). Catheter ablation was evaluated on Delayed cardiac tamponade. Catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias can result in very late post-procedural cardiac tamponade, as demonstrated by a patient developing hemorrhagic tamponade 19 days post-procedure.
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