Open AccessCoronary Fistula Between Left Anterior Descending Artery (LAD) and Pulmonary Artery (PA) Leading to Sudden Cardiac Death: Case Report with Literature Review
Author(s) -
Ayman Battisha,
Bader Madoukh,
Omar Sheikh,
Ahmed Altibi,
Shakil R. Sheikh,
Mohammed AlSadawi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
current cardiology reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1875-6557
pISSN - 1573-403X
DOI - 10.2174/1573403x15666191008100848
Subject(s) - medicine , cardiology , fistula , sudden cardiac death , sudden death , artery , pulmonary artery , surgery
Coronary Artery Fistulas (CAF) are inappropriate connections between a coronary artery and a major vessel or a cardiac chamber. These fistulas may or may not present with symptoms, but they need to be detected as early as possible in order to decide the most appropriate treatment methodology (i.e. surgery vs. conservative management). We report the case of a 67-year-old female with no modifiable cardiovascular risk factors who had an unwitnessed sudden death at home during her ongoing evaluation of a fistula detected incidentally between the Left Anterior Descending Artery (LAD) and the Pulmonary Artery (PA). This case highlights that early diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic CAF are crucial to minimize the risk of sudden cardiac death. Although the symptomatic fistula of LAD to PA has been reported in the literature multiple times, it has been rarely reported that this fistula can result in sudden cardiac death.