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Case Reports
. 2017 Mar 3;2017(3):omx010.
doi: 10.1093/omcr/omx010. eCollection 2017 Mar.

Atrial fibrillation in a preterm newborn with structurally normal heart

Pier Paolo Bassareo  1 , Andrea Raffaele Marras  1 , Mariangela Marras  2 , Silvia Marras  1 , Giuseppe Mercuro  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Atrial fibrillation in a preterm newborn with structurally normal heart

Pier Paolo Bassareo et al. Oxf Med Case Reports. .

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a really uncommon arrhythmia in newborns. Here, we report the case of a 1-day-old infant who was recovered in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a twin-to-twin transfusion. The appearance of an unexpected AF was registered at his continuous electrocardiographic monitoring. Both chest X-ray and echocardiographic examination revealed the anomalous insertion of the tip of a central venous catheter (CVC) into the heart ('umbilical artery → inferior vena cava → right atrium → patent foramen ovale → left atrium'). AF ceased as soon as the CVC was extracted from the heart. The mechanical irritation of both atria caused by the malposition of the CVC might be the underlying mechanism responsible for the triggering of AF in this unique case report.

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Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Single lead (D1) electrocardiographic monitoring shows the presence of AF in the monitored newborn.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Chest X-ray shows the malposition of the tip of the CVC into the left atrium of the heart.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
The malposition of the tip of the CVC into the heart is confirmed at ultrasound examination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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