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Sudden cardiac arrest and coexisting mitral valve prolapse: a case report and literature review

Echo Research & Practice volume 3, pages D1–D8 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

The aetiology of sudden cardiac arrest can often be identified to underlying cardiac pathology. Mitral valve prolapse is a relatively common valvular pathology with symptoms manifesting with increasing severity of mitral regurgitation (MR). It is unusual for severe MR to be present without symptoms, and there is growing evidence that this subset of patients may be at increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest or death. The difficulty lies in identifying those patients at risk and applying measures that are appropriate to halting progression to cardiac arrest. This article examines the association of mitral valve prolapse with cardiac arrests, the underlying pathophysiological process and the strategies for identifying those at risk.

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Funding

This case report did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sector.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiothoracic Critical Care Department, St George’s Hospital, London, UK

    Mohamed Ahmed MBBS BSc FRCA & Nick Fletcher MBBS FRCA FFICM

  2. Critical Care Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

    Ashraf Roshdy MBBch MSc MD FRCP

  3. Department of Cardiology, St George’s Hospital, London, UK

    Rajan Sharma MD MRCP

Authors
  1. Mohamed Ahmed MBBS BSc FRCA
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  2. Ashraf Roshdy MBBch MSc MD FRCP
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  3. Rajan Sharma MD MRCP
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  4. Nick Fletcher MBBS FRCA FFICM
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Correspondence to Mohamed Ahmed MBBS BSc FRCA.

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Ahmed, M., Roshdy, A., Sharma, R. et al. Sudden cardiac arrest and coexisting mitral valve prolapse: a case report and literature review. Echo Res Pract 3, D1–D8 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1530/ERP-15-0020

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Echo Research & Practice

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