• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.254-259
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• 2019

Pheochromocytoma (PCC) is a rare catecholamine-producing tumor with the incidence in hypertension of 0.1-0.6%. PCC crisis is an endocrine emergency that can lead to hemodynamic disturbance and organ failure such as catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy. The circulatory collapse caused by it often requires mechanical support. The author reports an unusual case in which a patient who previously underwent surgery for malignant PCC developed catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy, and successfully recovered using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.120-123
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• 2010

Purpose: Epinephrine itself exhibits some cardiotoxicity. However, it rarely induces cardiomyopathy when used in standard doses during surgery for local hemostasis. This paper reports a rare case of stress-induced cardiomyopathy in a young woman after the local infiltration of epinephrine. Methods: Corrective rhinoplasty was planned in a 20-year-old woman. Lidocaine mixed with epinephrine 1:100,000 was injected around the skin of the nose and nasal septum after inducing anesthesia, which resulted in sinus tachycardia and hypotension. Postoperative ECG showed a T wave inversion in the lead V2 and echocardiography revealed transient hypokinesia in the cardiac apex. Cardiac enzyme was mildly elevated. Results: Symptoms and laboratory findings improved considerably, and the patient was discharged from hospital without complications on the sixth day after surgery. Conclusion: The prognosis of catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy is generally favorable. However, it is important to be aware of the possible adverse effects of local epinephrine infiltration. This case highlights the need for caution when using epinephrine.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.85-88
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• 2011

Purpose: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a relatively uncommon type of stress-induced cardiomyopathy characterized by transient left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities. Emotional and physical stresses play a key role in this type of cardiomyopathy in postmenopausal women. The current hypothesis is that the syndrome represents a form of catecholamine surge due to stress or epinephrine-mediated acute myocardial stunning. Methods: A 44-year-old woman had suffered premature ventricular contraction following a cardiogenic shock during a breast augmentation surgery under enflurane anesthesia and tumescent solution infiltration. She was treated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation at a local clinic. Then she was brought to the Emergency Department of the authors' hospital. Results: The woman's echocardiogram showed an ejection fraction of 20~25% with associated basal hyperkinesis and left ventricular apical ballooning. The patient was admitted to the ICU and required inotropic support for two weeks. The patient's condition dramatically improved, and her ejection fraction returned to 70%. Conclusion: It is believed that there were multiple triggering factors of the onset of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in the woman's social and family history, including infiltration of a large volume of the tumescent solution and VPCs induced by enflurane anesthesia without premedication. The importance of careful history-taking, careful pre-operative consultation on psychological suffering especially for breast surgery, premedication before surgery, patient reassurance, and post-operative psychosocial and emotional assistance was again seen in this case.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.219-223
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• 2008

Pheochromocytoma is derived from the chromaffin tissue. The typical finding of pheochromocytoma is paroxysmal hypertension accompanied with various signs and symptoms that are due to the excess of catecholamines or other bioactive substances. Yet the diagnosis is sometimes difficult to make because its clinical presentation is quite variable. Especially, hemoptysis is a very rare symptom, so the diagnosis is often missed or delayed. Without making the correct diagnosis and then subsequently administering treatment, the condition may be fatal. We herein report on a 68 year-old woman who was admitted because of abdominal pain and hemoptysis. The initial radiologic findings suggested pulmonary edema with alveolar hemorrhage. The urine catecholamine levels were elevated and she developed catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy. We performed bronchial arterial embolization and we administered alpha blocker medication for controlling the hemoptysis and hypertension. After the temporary symptomatic improvement, her clinical course was aggravated by pneumonia and pulmonary edema. In spite of performing definitive surgery for pheochromocytoma, she died of postoperative hemodynamic instability.