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Rescue peri-operative management of the patient with giant electrical storm and severe left ventricular dysfunction: support by levosimendan and intraaortic balloon counterpulsation

^a Department of Cardiac Surgery, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, FNKV, Srobarova 50, 100 34 Prague 10, Czech Republic
^b Department of Cardiology, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, Czech Republic

*Corresponding author. Tel.: +420 267 163 422; fax: +420 267 163 260.

E-mail address: vanek{at}fnkv.cz (T. Vanek).

We present a case of a 62-year-old male patient (coronary heart disease, and stenosis of aortic valve) with severe left ventricular dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction 20%, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter 80 mm, end-diastolic volume 329 ml) who developed giant electrical storm (on the whole 115 episodes of pulseless ventricular tachycardia treated by antiarrhythmics and electrical discharges) with low-elevation of cardiac biomarkers. The patient was referred to emergent cardiac surgery (double coronary bypass grafting, aortic valve replacement, and implantation of left ventricular epicardial electrode). Levosimendan and intraaortic balloon counterpulsation were used for successful weaning from the cardiopulmonary bypass; no other arrhythmia appeared in the post-bypass period. Postoperatively no arrhythmic events were detected, and repeated echocardiographic examinations of the patient in good general condition showed gradual improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction (30–35%), likewise in other parameters (left ventricular end-diastolic diameter 72 mm, end-diastolic volume 285 ml).

Key Words: Electrical storm; Open-heart surgery; Impaired ventricular function; Levosimendan; Intraaortic balloon pump