Case of fulminant giant-cell myocarditis associated with polymyositis, treated with a biventricular assist device and subsequent heart transplantation.

Giant-cell myocarditis is an autoimmune myocarditis that rapidly progresses to heart failure, and is often associated ventricular tachycardia. We describe an otherwise healthy patient who was acutely ill with decompensated heart failure and ventricular tachycardia associated with rash and polymyositis, who then developed cardiogenic shock and multiorgan failure due to giant-cell myocarditis.