TY - JOUR
T1 - Ventricular arrhythmias induced by long-term use of ephedrine in two competitive athletes.
AU - Casella, Michela
AU - Dello Russo, Antonio
AU - Izzo, Gennaro
AU - Pieroni, Maurizio
AU - Andreini, Daniele
AU - Russo, Eleonora
AU - Colombo, Daniele
AU - Bologna, Fabrizio
AU - Bolognese, Leonardo
AU - Zeppilli, Paolo
AU - Tondo, Claudio
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic substance used by sportsmen as a doping substance because of its stimulating and slimming effects. We report two cases of ventricular arrhythmias induced by abuse of ephedrine in two competitive athletes. Endomyocardial biopsies guided by electroanatomic mapping revealed contraction-band necrosis, a myocardial injury frequently observed in cases of catecholamine excess. Our cases suggest that long-term abuse of ephedrine may result in myocardial damage, and that these structural alterations may promote areas of slow conduction favoring re-entrant ventricular tachyarrhythmias and a long-lasting risk of ventricular arrhythmias.
AB - Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic substance used by sportsmen as a doping substance because of its stimulating and slimming effects. We report two cases of ventricular arrhythmias induced by abuse of ephedrine in two competitive athletes. Endomyocardial biopsies guided by electroanatomic mapping revealed contraction-band necrosis, a myocardial injury frequently observed in cases of catecholamine excess. Our cases suggest that long-term abuse of ephedrine may result in myocardial damage, and that these structural alterations may promote areas of slow conduction favoring re-entrant ventricular tachyarrhythmias and a long-lasting risk of ventricular arrhythmias.
KW - Endomyocardial biopsy
KW - Ventricular arrhythmia
KW - Endomyocardial biopsy
KW - Ventricular arrhythmia
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/55367
U2 - 10.1007/s00380-013-0455-6
DO - 10.1007/s00380-013-0455-6
M3 - Article
SN - 0910-8327
SP - 280
EP - 283
JO - Heart and Vessels
JF - Heart and Vessels
ER -