Despite the development of ventricular assist devices, cardiac transplantation remains an important procedure for patients with advanced heart failure. The number of transplants done annually has remained stable because of… Click to show full abstract
Despite the development of ventricular assist devices, cardiac transplantation remains an important procedure for patients with advanced heart failure. The number of transplants done annually has remained stable because of lack of of donors. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction remains one of the most important reasons for seeking a donor heart. Myocardial stunning is an important cause of reversible systolic dysfunction. Electrical injury is a recognized cause of myocardial stunning with variable duration ranging from days to weeks. Repeating the transthoracic echocardiogram to look for reversibility of left ventricular dysfunction can be a cost-effective method to improve the selection of heart donors. This can significantly help to decrease critical organ shortage. We present a case of myocardial stunning after electrocution which was completely reversible within a few hours, thus meeting cardiac transplant donor criteria.
               
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