Publication Date
1-1-2025
Journal
The Texas Heart Institute Journal
DOI
10.14503/THIJ-24-8543
PMID
40765924
PMCID
PMC12322575
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
8-4-2025
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Abstract
Lyme carditis represents a rare cardiac complication of Borrelia burgdorferi infection, often causing conduction disturbances but rarely causing malignant arrhythmias. Inflammatory acute coronary syndrome, driven by immune-mediated plaque erosion rather than rupture, represents a nontraditional ischemic mechanism. This case highlights their overlap. The case of a previously healthy man with Lyme disease who experienced cardiac arrest because of ventricular tachycardia is reported. Imaging showed myocardial inflammation together with coronary plaque erosion instead of plaque rupture. The patient underwent advanced diagnostic testing and received multidisciplinary medical care, which led to complete cardiac recovery and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator placement.
Keywords
Humans, Male, Lyme Disease, Myocarditis, Plaque, Atherosclerotic, Death, Sudden, Cardiac, Defibrillators, Implantable, Tachycardia, Ventricular, Electrocardiography, Coronary Angiography, Middle Aged, Coronary Artery Disease, Lyme disease, myocarditis, pneumonia, multimodal imaging, dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Kaldas, Marco; Shah, Moneal; Pashaieva, Diana; et al., "Lyme Carditis and Inflammation-Driven Plaque Erosion Presenting as Sudden Cardiac Arrest" (2025). The Texas Heart Institute Journal. 408.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/texasheartinstituejournal/408