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The Electronic Munchausen Syndrome?

C. Craig Mitchell, MD; Martin J. Frank, MD

JAMA. 1982;248(4):469-470.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

AMBULATORY ECG (Holter) monitoring is a widely used and effective technique for detecting arrhythmias and determining the efficacy of antiarrhythmic treatment. Major therapeutic decisions are often based on the results of these recordings. However, electrode, lead, recorder, and playback components may malfunction and produce artifacts that simulate serious arrhythmias. Pseudotachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias caused by component malfunction are well described in the literature.^1-4 However, to our knowledge, artifacts produced by tampering with the recorder have not been described pre[ill]usly. We discuss herein a case of pseudobradycardia and asystole apparently produced by this newly uncovered mechanism.

Report of a Case

A 24-year-old woman arrived at an outlying hospital with atypical chest pain and recurrent syncope that resulted in numerous visits to the emergency service. She was found to have frequent ventricular premature beats (VPBs). Attempts to control the arrhythmia failed, and she was then referred to the cardiology service at the . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Section of Cardiology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912 (Dr Frank).

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