PMC9949741_01
Baseline and arrival ECG. (A) The patient's baseline ECG without QT interval prolongation and with an averaged QT/QTc of 403/434 ms and post-premature ventricular contraction (PVC) QT of 400 ms. (B) Admission ECG with evidence of frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) in bigeminy pattern, T-wave flattening, and prolonged QT intervals averaged at 534 ms and post-PVC at 580 ms. Adm, admission; ECG, electrocardiogram; QTc, corrected QT
cureus-0015-00000034126-i01.jpg
PMC9949741_01_cureus-0015-00000034126-i01.jpg
FIG1
His arrival 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) in the ED (Figure 1B) revealed a sinus rhythm with a first-degree atrioventricular block, frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) in a bigeminy pattern, T-wave flattening, and prolonged QT interval averaged at 534 milliseconds, more pronounced after PVC (580 ms), not present on prior reference ECG (Figure 1A).
Torsades de pointes and licorice candy twists. (A) ECG trace obtained during polymorphic ventricular tachycardia on the cardiac telemetry, with evidence of torsades de pointes (TdP) and the characteristic twisting of peaks. (B) The illustration shows chewy ropes of candy licorice twists as a common source of licorice and hence the metaphoric title of "Close Call From a Sweet Twist," referring to the licorice-provoked TdP. aVR, augmented vector right; aVL, augmented vector left; aVF, augmented vector foot; ECG, electrocardiogram
cureus-0015-00000034126-i02.jpg
PMC9949741_01_cureus-0015-00000034126-i02.jpg
FIG2
TdP (Figure 2). The loss of consciousness was witnessed during the rapid response team intervention with a duration of approximately 20 seconds.