Peerbhai S, Masha L, DaSilva-DeAbreu A, Dhoble A. Hyperkalemia masked by pseudo-stemi infarct pattern and cardiac arrest.
Int J Emerg Med 2017;
10:3. [PMID:
28124201 PMCID:
PMC5267584 DOI:
10.1186/s12245-017-0132-0]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Hyperkalemia is a common electrolyte abnormality and has well-recognized early electrocardiographic manifestations including PR prolongation and symmetric T wave peaking. With severe increase in serum potassium, dysrhythmias and atrioventricular and bundle branch blocks can be seen on electrocardiogram. Although cardiac arrest is a worrisome consequence of untreated hyperkalemia, rarely does hyperkalemia electrocardiographically manifest as acute ischemia.
Case presentation
We present a case of acute renal failure complicated by malignant hyperkalemia and eventual ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest. Recognition of this disorder was delayed secondary to an initial ECG pattern suggesting an acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Emergent coronary angiography performed showed no evidence of coronary artery disease.
Conclusions
Pseudo-STEMI patterns are rarely seen in association with acute hyperkalemia and are most commonly described with patient without acute cardiac symptomatology. This is the first such case presenting concurrently with cardiac arrest. A brief review of this rare pseudo-infarct pattern is also given.
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