Hypoplastic Coronary Artery Disease Presenting with Ventricular Fibrillation Cardiac Arrest

Hypoplastic coronary artery disease is a rare congenital anomaly that may present with ischaemic heart disease, heart failure or sudden cardiac death (SCD). We describe a case of cardiac arrest in a healthy young man. Work-up revealed a hypoplastic left anterior descending artery. The patient underwent cardioverter-defibrillator implantation for secondary prevention.

Learning points: Hypoplastic coronary artery disease (HCAD) is a rare cause of cardiac arrest and should be suspected in cases of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young adults.The mechanism in HCAD leading to ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest is not well understood.Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation is recommended for secondary prevention of ventricular fibrillation.