Angina Pectoris with Syncope Due to Paroxysmal Atrioventricular Block: Role of Ischaemia Report of Two Cases
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Br Heart J: first published as 10.1136/hrt.36.6.577 on 1 June 1974. Downloaded from British Heart Journal, 1974, 36, 577-58I. Angina pectoris with syncope due to paroxysmal atrioventricular block: role of ischaemia Report of two cases Paul Chiche, Robert Haiat, and Pierre Steff From Service de Cardiologie et Urgences Circulatoires, H6pital Tenon, Paris, France Two patients who experienced angina pectoris resulting in syncope, caused by paroxysmal atrioventricular block, are reported. In both cases circulatory arrest occurred at the peak of the anginal attack. It was related in one case to ventricular standstill and in the other to runs of ventricular tachycardia (wave bursts 'torsades de pointe'). In both cases abolition of the syncopal attacks was achieved by insertion of a permanent demand pacemaker. These observations illustrate one of the possible mechanisms of sudden death in patients with coronary disease. They stress the primary role of acute ischaemia in the genesis of arrhythmias both during an attack of angina and the course of asymptomatic atherosclerotic heart disease. The occurrence of syncope caused by paroxysmal then lost consciousness for 45 seconds. The electro- atrioventricular (AV) block during attacks of angina cardiogram recorded during syncope (Fig. 2) showed pectoris in patients with ischaemic heart disease is complete AV block with prolonged ventricular standstill rare. To our knowledge only 5 documented reports (3 5 sec). A permanent demand pacemaker (Stanium http://heart.bmj.com/ We Monopolar) was implanted using the jugular vein. have been published so far. thought it relevant During a nine-month follow-up period the patient is to describe two new cases, which demonstrate one doing well: he is free of any syncope though he does of the possible mechanisms of sudden death in experience episodic anginal pain. patients with atherosclerotic heart disease. Summary A 78-year-old man with coronary insuffi- Case reports ciency and bifascicular block (right bundle-branch block Case I and left anterosuperior hemiblock) experienced, at the A 78-year-old man presented with a past history of peak of anginal pain, syncope caused by paroxysmal AV on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. hypertension and mild renal insufficiency. In I969 he block and ventricular standstill. Relief from syncopal experienced for the first time an attack of angina pec- attacks was obtained after insertion of a permanent toris. Since I972 syncope frequently occurred at the demand pacemaker. peak of anginal pain, at rest or on exercise. The patient complained of typical constrictive pain, then fainted. Case 2 Syncope lasted less than one minute, and was associated An 8o-year-old woman presented with a past history of with urinary incontinence. Neurological emiation hypertension and mild cardiac failure. Since I97I she and two encephalograms revealed no abnormality. The repeatedly experienced short attacks of thoracic con- patient was referred to us in January I973 because of the strictive pain immediately followed by dizziness or recent recurrence of syncopal attacks. Physical exam- syncope. The patient was referred to us in May 1973 ination was non-contributory except for a grade 2/6 for cardiac evaluation. Physical examination was non- systolic murmur at the apex and a moderate cardio- contributory except for a grade if6 midsystolic murmur megaly on the chest x-ray film. The electrocardiogram at the apex. The basic electrocardiogram showed sinus showed sinus rhythm with right bundle-branch block rhythm with normal PR interval and left bundle-branch and left anterosuperior hemiblock (Fig. i). Paroxysmal block. The patient was placed under continuous electro- AV block was suspected and the patient was placed cardiographic monitoring. On several occasions the under continuous electrocardiographic monitoring. The tracing showed asymptomatic episodes of high degree next day at 5.45 a.m. he was awakened by a severe retro- AV block (Fig. 3). The day after referral the patient had sternal constrictive pain similar to the previous ones, thoracic constrictive pain identical with the previous Received 13 November 1973. ones and then lost consciousness. The electrocardiogram Br Heart J: first published as 10.1136/hrt.36.6.577 on 1 June 1974. Downloaded from 578 Chiche, Haiat, and Steff II II l11111 RLLF V1 2 3 V456 FIG. I Case 2. 9 January 1973. Sinus rhythm is present with normal PR interval and right bundle-branch block, with left anterosuperior hemiblock. http://heart.bmj.com/ FIG. 2 Case . 10 anuary 1973. 5 a.m. During a syncopal episode which occurred at the height of an anginal attach complete atrioventricular bloch with prolonged ventricular asystoleI7(.a5 sec) is recorded fromn the electrocardiogram. H111Igig~~~~~~~iR F on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. -r-:t FIG. 3 Case 2. II May 1973. In the absence of anginal pain an asymptomatic high grade atrioventricular block with occasional capture is recorded. Br Heart J: first published as 10.1136/hrt.36.6.577 on 1 June 1974. Downloaded from Angina pectoris with syncope due to paroxysmal atrioventricular block: role of ischaemia 579 I A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~e I-t-v FIG. 4 Case 2. 12 May 1973. During an attack of angina pectoris followed by syncope, wave bursts ('torsades de pointe') appear. recorded during the syncopal attack (Fig. 4) showed a The occurrence of a syncopal attack during an high grade AV block, and, for the first time, runs of episode of angina is rare (Gallavardin, I922; ventricular tachycardia (wave bursts: 'torsades de Golden, I944). Pathogenesis of the syncope include pointe' (Dessertenne, I966)). The next day a permanent (Chiche, I972): increase in vagal tone; cerebral demand pacemaker (Stanium Monopolar) was implanted using the jugular vein. During a six-month follow-up ischaemia resulting from the reduction in myo- the patient is doing well: she is free of any syncope cardial performance due to acute ischaemia (Chiche, though does experience a few attacks of angina pectoris. I972); arrhythmias as especially observed in Prinz- metal's angina: sinoatrial block (Dorra et al., Summary An 8o-year-old woman with coronary in- I968); ventricular fibrillation (Raynaud et al., I969; sufficiency and left bundle-branch block experienced Schwartz, Schwedel, and Schwartz, I966), and syncopal attacks at the peak of anginal pain. Between the paroxysmal AV block which is discussed here. attacks of angina continuous electrocardiographic moni- Syncopal attacks caused by paroxysmal AV block toring showed episodes of high degree AV block which during angina, to our knowledge, so far have been remained asymptomatic. During an anginal attack syn- http://heart.bmj.com/ cope occurred and simultaneously wave bursts ('torsades mentioned in only 5 documented reports (Galla- de pointe') were recorded on the electrocardiogram. vardin, 1922; Botti, I966; Schwartz et al., I966; Relief from syncopal attacks was obtained after inser- Raynaud et al., I969; Faivre et al., 1972). Galla- tion of a permanent demand pacemaker. vardin (I922) was the first to report these in what is now a classical description: 'Every time the patients have violent attacks of angina they are subject to Discussion fits of dizziness or actual syncope. Slowing of the Asymptomatic atrioventricular (AV) conduction pulse cannot always be recorded because once the disturbances are known to occur in about 20 per attack ends everything returns to normal. Un- on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. cent of cases in the acute phase of myocardial in- doubtedly it is only during an attack that one can farction. They are more frequent in posteroinferior notice the slowing or maybe the disappearance of (I5%) than anterior (5%) infarctions (Himbert the pulse ... The linking of the fits of dizziness or and Lenegre, I967). As a rule, they are due to rever- syncope to conduction disturbances is still more sible ischaemia of the AV node and are transient. likely to be true with the finding of an unusually Asymptomatic AV conduction disturbances are prolonged a-c interval in the venous pulse tracing'. probably caused by a similar mechanism, but are More recent cases (Botti, I966; Schwartz et al., quite unusual during an attack of angina. Auzepy I966; Raynaud et al., I969) have made it possible to et al. (I962) reported one case out of I95. A few state precisely the mechanism of the circulatory other reports (Prinzmetal et al., 1959; Bouvrain, arrest: ventricular pause (Case i), or 'wave bursts' Fortin, and Coumel, I963; Nadal-Ginard and ('torsades de pointe') (Case 2). This last term refers Cardenas, I973; Oliva, Potts, and Pluss, I973) in- to runs of ventricular tachycardia which have been clude cases seen during variant angina pectoris individualized according to their particular mor- described by Prinzmetal et al. (I959); in these cases, phology (Dessertenne, I966). When recorded on the degree of block varied from a second-degree three simultaneous leads the electrocardiogram block (Mobitz I (Nadal-Ginard and Cardenas, evidences remarkable periodical changes in QRS I973) or 2: I (Bouvrain et al., I963) to a complete amplitude (gradual decrease then increase) and heart block (Nadal-Ginard and Cardenas, I973). orientation (the complexes seem to 'twist' them- Br Heart J: first published as 10.1136/hrt.36.6.577 on 1 June 1974. Downloaded from 58o Chiche, Haiat, and Steff selves around the baseline). In American reports out angina (as anginal pain is a late and/or incon- 'torsades de pointes' are usually referred as 'tran- stant sign of myocardial ischaemia). As clearly sient ventricular fibrillation' (Schwartz, Orloff, and shown, ischaemia may lead to severe arrhythmias Fox, 1949) or 'chaotic ventricular tachycardia' and must be treated so in an endeavour to prevent (Scherf, Cohen, and Shafiiha, I967). sudden death (Chiche, I973). In our patients, syncope caused by paroxysmal AV block occurred at the peak of typical anginal References attacks which did not have the features of Prinz- attacks were to Amsterdam, E.