ABSTRACT
Acute and rapidly reversible left ventricular dysfunction may be triggered by various psychological and physical insults. This entity is now well known as stress cardiomyopathy or Takotsubu cardiomyopathy. Suicidal hanging involves intense emotional outburst and the act of hanging is an extreme physical stress. We report a case of rapidly reversible left ventricular dysfunction following attempted suicide by hanging. Usually the outcome is favourable as in our case. The pathogenesis of left ventricular dysfunction in hanging is myocardial stunning due to catecholamine surge. Other mechanisms are also proposed.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Physiological , Adult , Female , Humans , Myocardial Stunning/complications , Risk Factors , Suicide, Attempted , Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy/complications , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/etiologyABSTRACT
Left atrial appendage aneurysm is a rarely reported condition. Symptoms are absent in childhood and diagnosis is usually incidental. Systemic embolization or arrhythmia can bring these cases to medical attention. We report the case of a 12-year-old male with massive left atrial appendage aneurysm who presented with effort intolerance and supraventricular arrhythmia. The diagnosis was made by transthoracic echocardiography. Magnetic resonance imaging and left atriogram were also done before surgical resection.