Evaluation of Chagas heart disease by cardiac magnetic resonance after an aborted sudden cardiac death event

Background Chagas’ disease (CD) is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi leading to a lifelong infection, which is still recognized as one of the world’s most neglected tropical diseases. After an acute phase, which is commonly unapparent, 30-40% of the patients develop the chronic form and chronic Chagas ‘cardiomyopathy (CCC), its most serious complication, has three main clinical presentations: arrhythmic syndrome, heart failure, and thromboembolic phenomena. All of these forms can lead to the most important outcome in CCC: the sudden cardiac death (SCD). This dramatic event can affect even young and previously asymptomatic patients. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) is becoming a valuable tool to evaluate and stratify patients regarding the risk of severe arrhythmic events in many clinical conditions. Little is known about its prognostic value in CCC. Our objective was to report a series of aborted SCD in CCC patients in order to clarify if CMR can detect a common imaging pattern in such cases.