ARRHYTHMIAS, PACING, ABLATIONC1 A DEPENDENT SYNCOPE

Abstract

A 33-year-old man, ex drug addict on methadone therapy. He arrives to emergency department for syncope, reported by his wife reversion of the eyeballs and fine tremors with subsequent recovery of consciousness. A similar episode had happened a year ago. It was performed ECG: sinus bradycardia , 45 bpm, QT 600 msec, QTc 554 msec . Neurological examination performed: no motor deficits, negative Romberg. At brain CT no parenchymal tomodensitometric changes. Median line structures in axis. At the EEG: slight diffuse slow intercritical changes. Prescribed therapy with levetiracetam 500 mg. Cardiological examination and echocardiogram performed within the limits. Laboratory tests showed Trop HS 80 pg / ml. On the basis of the ECG and the slight increase of the troponin he was hospitalized in Cardiology and monitored. The following day, cardiac arrest due to torsade de pointes degenerated into ventricular fibrillation, DC shock was performed with the restoration of electrical and mechanical activity. Urgent coronary angiography was performed with evidence of coronary artery free from angiographically significant stenosis. SERT has been contacted: the patient had not been treated by them for some time and was using excessive doses of self-procuring methadone. In consideration of cardiac arrest from methadone long QT ventricular arrhythmia, ICD implantation was proposed, refused by the patient because he wanted to start detoxification therapy. During the hospitalization, progressive reduction of QT up to normalization in discharge. After a month new access to emergency department for presynopal episode, ECG showed sinus bradycardia with QTC 552 msec; the patient reports continuing to take excessive methadone doses and refuses treatment at a recovery center; considering that the ICD can be life-saving in this typ77e of patient (intractable addiction), we have re-proposed the ICD implant, rejected by the patient.