A rectangular dermatosis of the left back

Abstract

Background: Cardioversion and defibrillation have become widely used techniques aimed at restoring normal sinus rhythm in patients with cardiac arrhythmias. Following the procedure, cutaneous lesions are often seen at the site of the electrodes, but little has been reported regarding the evolution of such lesions over time. Observations: Two patients presented with unusual, well-defined rectangular eruptions on the left back, and both reported a history of having undergone electrical cardioversion or defibrillation several years previously. The histologic characteristics of each lesion were dis-tinct, and the management was symptomatic, with most of the relief coming from the recognition that the erup-tion was actually a self-limited manifestation of cardio-version and defibrillation. Conclusions: The clinical cases and corresponding his-tologic findings represent possible long-term sequelae of electrical cardioversion or defibrillation. They are pre-sented in order to enhance the diagnostic acumen of dermatologists and to avoid potential misdiagnosis. ©2009 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.