Cardiogenic shock following electro-cardioversion of new onset atrial flutter

Abstract

Transient hypotension and atrial stunning are known complications of electro-cardioversion for supra-ventricular tachyarrhythmias, however, a clinically significant cardiac failure is extremely rare in this setting.We, herein, present a 77-year-old African American male who underwent electro-cardioversion following an unremarkable transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) for a symptomatic atrial flutter of a new onset. Immediately post-cardioversion, he suffered severe hypotension with a depressed LV systolic function. IV dobutamine stabilized his blood pressure.