Ventricular fibrillation diagnosed with trans-thoracic echocardiography

Electrocardiographic artifacts on scope are frequently observed in pre-hospital settings. They can lead to misdiagnosis or inappropriate resuscitation treatments. Here we report a case of ventricular fibrillation by electrical injury masked by ECG artifacts, after the savage of a victim, due to persistent 50 Hz domestic current and identified by trans-thoracic ultrasonography. No clinical randomized studies define precisely the benefit of such an examination. In cases where ECG analysis is impossible due to artifacts, ultrasonographic exam could be useful to identify ventricular fibrillation. This case underlines also the need for a correct device ECG analysis in any circumstances.