TITLE:
Sudden death in a patient with a short PR interval and subsequent sudden onset of a typical Tako-tsubo pattern
AUTHORS:
Francisco R. Breijo-Marquez, Manuel Pardo Rios
KEYWORDS:
Takotsubo Disease; Short PR-Interval; Lown-Ganong-Levine; Tachycardias
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Internal Medicine,
Vol.3 No.3,
September
16,
2013
ABSTRACT: The Tako-tsubo
cardiomyopathy, also known as transient apical
dysfunction, transient apical dyskinesia, stress-induced cardiomyopathy or
broken heart syndrome, is a type of nonischemic cardiomyopathy in which there
is a sudden temporary weakening of the myocardium. The PR interval reflects the
time the electrical impulse takes to travel from the sinus node through the AV
node and entering the ventricles. The PR interval is therefore a good estimate
of AV node function. Its normal values are between 0.120 - 0.200 seconds. When
its length is lesser than 0.120 seconds, we speak as a short PR-interval. This
event has a great capacity for severe cardiac arrhythmia production. Both
entities can be very dangerous, separately. When they are together in the same
individual, the consequences could be deadly.