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Brugada syndrome in childhood: a potential fatal arrhythmia not always recognised by paediatricians. A case report and review of the literature

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Abstract

We report on a youngster followed by his paediatrician from birth until 14 years of age for premature beats, most likely of ventricular origin. The sudden death of his sister provoked a re-assessment of his electrocardiograms (ECG), resulting in the diagnosis of Brugada syndrome and the subsequent implantation of a cardioverter defibrillator. This syndrome is a well known entity in adult cardiology, first described by Brugada and Brugada in 1992. It is considered to be the second most common cause of death in young adults after road traffic accidents. In children, however, the Brugada syndrome is not well known and we believe to be certainly underdiagnosed.

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Abbreviations

ECG:

Electrocardiogram

EP study:

Electrophysiological study

ICD:

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator

RBBB:

Right bundle branch block

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paediatric Cardiology, Lausanne University Hospital, CHUV, Rue du Bugnon 46, CH-1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Yvan Mivelaz, Stefano Di Bernardo, Erik Jan Meijboom & Nicole Sekarski

  2. Cardiology, Lausanne University Hospital, CHUV, Rue du Bugnon 46, CH-1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Etienne Pruvot

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  1. Yvan Mivelaz
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  2. Stefano Di Bernardo
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  3. Etienne Pruvot
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  4. Erik Jan Meijboom
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  5. Nicole Sekarski
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Correspondence to Yvan Mivelaz.

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Mivelaz, Y., Di Bernardo, S., Pruvot, E. et al. Brugada syndrome in childhood: a potential fatal arrhythmia not always recognised by paediatricians. A case report and review of the literature. Eur J Pediatr 165, 507–511 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-006-0150-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-006-0150-z

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