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When the first seizure can be the last: ventricular fibrillation following a new‐onset seizure
Author(s) -
Sethwala Anver,
Sparks Paul,
Perucca Piero
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
epileptic disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.673
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1950-6945
pISSN - 1294-9361
DOI - 10.1684/epd.2020.1207
Subject(s) - epilepsy , ventricular fibrillation , ictal , medicine , cardiology , sudden death , anesthesia , epileptogenesis , psychiatry
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the leading cause of epilepsy‐related mortality. Its mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Post‐ictal arrhythmias rather than ictal arrhythmias appear to be associated with an increased risk of SUDEP. Only a handful of individuals with epilepsy who have survived ventricular arrhythmias post seizure (near‐SUDEP) are reported in the literature. We report a case of ventricular fibrillation following a first‐ever unprovoked seizure in a patient without epilepsy, in whom a sinus rhythm was restored following cardioversion. A defibrillator was subsequently implanted. Our case suggests that even first seizures might account for some of the many cases of unexplained ventricular fibrillation or sudden cardiac death.