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Hypothermia-induced J waves.

Arnaldo FJ, Anatoliotakis N

A 36 years old woman with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome was admitted to the hospital for pulmonary Mycobacterium Avis Complex infection. Seventy-two hours after the admission she became hypothermic and bradycardic. The ECG showed sinus bradycardia, J waves in leads II, III, aVF, aVR, aVL, V5 and V6 along with QT prolongation and T wave abnormalities. After rewarming the J waves and repolarization abnormalities disappeared. The proposed cellular basis of hypothermia-induced J waves is the accentuation of the spike-and-dome morphology of the action potential of M and epicardial cells.

Published 12 December 2006 in Int J Cardiol, 114(3): e116-7.
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