An Unusual Case of Vasospastic Angina Resulting in Multiple Episodes of Cardiac Arrest.

Coronary vasospasm is a well-recognized cause of angina (also known as Prinzmetal angina) and a common cause of admissions to the emergency department and coronary intensive care units. It is however an uncommon cause of cardiac arrest. We describe a patient with multiple episodes of chest pain followed by cardiac arrest in pulseless electrical activity (PEA) due to coronary vasospasm. Telemetry and electrocardiography showed ST-segment elevation followed by PEA. Each event was short-lived and resolved after a maximum of six minutes of advanced life support measures. The patient was started on treatment with a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (CCB) and nitroglycerin patch with no further episodes recorded to date.