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Case Reports
. 2010 Sep 20:2010:bcr0720092130.
doi: 10.1136/bcr.07.2009.2130.

A young mountaineer surviving sudden cardiac arrest at high altitude

Andreas Indermuehle  1 , Stéphan Cook, Hans Marty
Affiliations
Case Reports

A young mountaineer surviving sudden cardiac arrest at high altitude

Andreas Indermuehle et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

A young mountaineer suffered from sudden cardiac arrest at high altitude. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated immediately. After 30 min a rescue team arrived and successfully defibrillated ventricular fibrillation upon which spontaneous circulation returned. The subsequent ECG was suggestive of extensive anterior myocardial infarction. Therefore, the patient was thrombolysed and transferred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Echocardiography revealed severely reduced left ventricular function with antero-septo-apical akinesia. However, angiography showed unobstructed coronary arteries. The patient fully recovered and left ventricular function normalised within 2 weeks. It may be speculated that exposure to high altitude resulted in acute coronary thrombosis which dissolved by rapid thrombolysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
ECG at presentation to the emergency room. Significant ST-segment elevation in V1-5 and ST-segment depression in II, III, aVF.
Figure 2
Figure 2
ECG 10 days after cardiac arrest. Regredient ST-segment elevation remaining significant in V1-3 and discordant, negative T waves in V1-6, I, II.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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