Continuous Stellate Ganglion Block Bridging to Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation in a Long QT Syndrome Neonate.
Meynet Pierre P, Mossetti Valeria V, Guerrera Francesco F, Ruffini Enrico E et al.
Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) with neonatal onset carries a high risk of drug-refractory ventricular arrhythmias. Continuous percutaneous left stellate ganglion block (PLSGB) as a bridge to left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) is unexplored in neonates. We present a newborn female with in utero onset LQTS, complicated by functional 2:1 atrioventricular block and torsades de pointes (TdP). Despite pacemaker implantation, propranolol, and mexiletine, TdP recurred. At 25 days of life, continuous PLSGB with ropivacaine suppressed TdP. At 4 months, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)-LCSD was performed, with no ventricular arrhythmia recurrence in 24 months. First reported case of continuous PLSGB in a neonate with LQTS; among the few VATS-LCSD cases under 1 year. Early sympathetic neuromodulation should be considered in high-risk pediatric LQTS when medical therapy fails, as a bridge to LCSD. VATS-LCSD is feasible and safe even under 1 year.