Abstract 11161: Thymic Hemorrhage – A Cause for Cardiac Arrest?

Abstract

Introduction: Thymic hemorrhage is a rare cause of sudden cardiac death, particularly in adults. We present a 35- year- old with sudden “cardiac” death secondary to thymic hemorrhage. Case: A 35-year-old healthy man presented following witnessed cardiac arrest. CPR was initiated immediately. The initial rhythm was shockable, he was defibrillated, and ROSC was achieved. He was intubated on site and transferred to the hospital. Initial labs were negative for electrolyte derangements and drugs of abuse. His high-sensitivity troponin T was 238 ng/L (nl<23 ng/L) and subsequently trended downward. His electrocardiogram showed non-specific ST-T abnormalities. His echocardiogram showed an ejection fraction of 25 to 29% with global hypokinesis. He was extubated on day 4 and scheduled for coronary angiography. On day 5, when he attempted to get out of bed, he lost consciousness and became pulseless. His initial rhythm was PEA, but with episodes of ventricular fibrillation during CPR, he was shocked accordingly. He had prolonged CPR, therefore, obviating advanced therapies. His autopsy showed only thymic hemorrhage. His coronary arteries were normal, with no signs of myocardial injury or myocarditis. Conclusion: Massive acute thymic hemorrhage is extremely rare in adults but is a rare but recognized cause of sudden death in utero and infants. There are only two reported cases of thymic hemorrhage in adults in the literature. Both the patients were nearly 40-year-old men who presented with chest pain. Initial imaging was consistent with mediastinal widening requiring thoracotomy that demonstrated hemorrhagic thymus. Similar to our patient, the reported cases were young men with no prior history of trauma. In contrast, our patient presented with cardiac arrest, and initial imaging was negative for mediastinal widening. The underlying etiology of cardiac arrest from thymic hemorrhage is poorly understood. Right atrial compression from acute hemorrhage of a benign thymic tumor was postulated as the cause of sudden death in a previously healthy 15-year-old boy. Our patient is a rare case since there are, to our knowledge, no reported cases in the literature of thymic hemorrhage as the cause of death in adults.