Boy whose heart stopped after bite of hot dog found to have rare condition


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A 9-year-old boy who was enjoying a hot dog took an overly big bite -- and went into cardiac arrest. But choking wasn't the cause, according to a case study published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics.

 

The terrifying incident had a much more unlikely cause, according to Dr. Isa Ozyilmaz of Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul.

 

The chunk of frankfurter stimulated the boy's vagus nerve, and this triggered an abnormal heart rhythm that in turn caused his heart to abruptly stop beating, Ozyilmaz and his co-authors speculated in the case study. The nerve, which extends from the head to the abdomen, helps the heart and gastrointestinal system function.

 

Despite immediate panic, the story has a happy ending: After defibrillation, the child was resuscitated.

 

Oddly, the boy's family history appeared to be a clean slate with regard to special cardiac diseases. However, doctors discovered a suspicious finding on his electrocardiograph (known as an ECG or EKG) during a followup examination.

 

With a possible diagnosis in mind, doctors at the Istanbul hospital conducted an ajmaline challenge test, which involves injecting the child with an antiarrhythmic drug and then observing how his heart responds. The pattern appearing on the EKG verified the diagnosis, and their verdict was swift: The boy had Brugada syndrome.

 

More....

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/06/health/hot-dog-cardiac-arrest-brugada-syndrome/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool

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