Arrhythmias associated with electroconvulsive therapy in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are inherently prone to arrhythmias. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), a well-known treatment in psychiatry, leads to a catecholamine surge and may cause arrhythmias in patients with severe coronary and valvular heart diseases and heart failure. Whether ECT is safe in HCM is unknown. We systematically investigated the effects of ECT on the arrhythmia profile and left ventricular outflow obstruction of a HCM patient by serial ambulatory Holter electrocardiograms and echocardiograms before and after ECT. Our observations provide insight into the evaluation and management of a HCM patient undergoing ECT.