Ventricular fibrillation induced by spontaneous hypothermia in a patient with early repolarization syndrome

Abstract

Introduction: The early repolarization (ER) pattern on ECG was originally described in the context of hypothermia.

Case summary: We present the case of a 34-year-old male with cardiac arrest in the context of spontaneous hypothalamic mediated thermal dysregulation after intracranial hemorrhage. Ventricular fibrillation with a marked ER pattern recurred with therapeutic hypothermia. Spontaneous hypothermia due to hypothalamic dysregulation was observed to enhance the amplitude of the ER pattern and was contemporaneous with recurrent ventricular fibrillation during follow-up.

Conclusions: Hypothermia is an important trigger of VF in the setting of early repolarization syndrome, and warrants assessment as an environmental trigger of spontaneous events.