Abstract

Impending cardiogenic shock due to tricyclic antidepressant toxicity, computed tomography findings: a case report

Author(s):Mohammad Ghasem Hanafi, Mohammad Momen gharibvand, Mojgan Sametzadeh and Aliakbar Sahraeizadeh

A computed tomographic (CT) with contrast enhancement is extensively used for assessment of a wide range of thoracic and abdominal circumstances. Thus, as the use of CT in the evaluation of unstable patients increases, the chance to see the CT features of imminent cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest also increases during scanning. The patient was a 27 year old man who brought to the emergency department by paramedics unresponsive, After physical examination and obtaining ECG due to presence of hypotension ,with suspicion to traumatic injury, Thoracoabdominal CT was done for patient which show dense opacification of the right hepatic lobe, that resembling contrast extravasations from IVC and the hepatic vein, laparatmy was done for patient which were normal .Patient Has developed cardiac arrest and died at the end of surgery. Postmortem autopsy and toxicology revealed Tricyclic antidepressant intoxication as a cause of cardiac arrest and death. TCA poisoned Patients may have normal ECG findings on arrival. In spite of infrequent reports of cardiogenic shock that occurring during CT scan, knowledge of distinctive CT findings of these patients is very essential for precise analysis of images, in addition to informing clinical physician for malpractice avoidance and immediate initiation of resuscitation

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