Cardiac arrest in patient with significant pulmonary regurgitation after surgical valvulotomy at 10 years of age for isolated pulmonary stenosis

Abstract

The number of adult patients with a congenital heart defect has increased. They are 2–3 times more numerous than children suffering from congenital heart defects, therefore, it is important to be aware of the most frequent congenital heart defects in adulthood – atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, aortic coarctation, tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary stenosis. These patients either underwent one or more operations in childhood, or were not operated at all (defect was not significant or inoperable), or the heart defect was not diagnosed (mostly atrial septal defect). Some of the patients for various periods of time stop attending regular follow-ups and being asymptomatic (even in cases of hemodynamically significant defects), they do not seek medical attention. We present the case of a 46-year-old man with gradually progressing pulmonary regurgitation after surgical valvulotomy at 10 years of age. Despite regular follow-ups by the cardiologist, the patient was never referred to a specialized centre and cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation occurred after physical exercise.