Arrhythmias in a Patient With Sarcoidosis

Arrhythmias in a Patient With Sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology; up to 27% of cases entail cardiac involvement. Conduction abnormalities and ventricular tachycardia are the most common arrhythmias and can cause sudden death. We describe a patient who developed cardiac sarcoidosis 9 years after undergoing surgery for neurosarcoidosis. He presented with 2:1 second-degree atrioventricular block. Ventricular tachycardia with 3 morphologies was induced by exercise stress test. A DDD pacer/implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) was implanted, which prevented exercise-induced ventricular tachycardia in a follow-up stress test. Treatment with steroids was initiated. The AVB disappeared, and no further arrhythmias were documented at the 1-year follow-up. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 22, pp. 1387-1390, December 2011)