HEADLINE HEALTH – Gilbert Gottfried, 67, American comedian (Hollywood Squares) and actor (Aladdin), died Tuesday of ventricular tachycardia, a heart rhythm problem caused by irregular electrical signals in the lower chambers of the heart.
Gottfried released a public service video (below) on May 4, 2021 urging people to get a COVID vaccine. It is unknown when Gottfried may have been vaccinated, how long ago he was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia, or whether the vaccine contributed to his death.
However, according to a recent report National Library of Medicine, a department of the National Institutes of Health:
“With the widespread use of [COVID] vaccines, reports are emerging worldwide, of the vaccine’s association with the development of myocarditis.”
The report goes on to detail the case of a Chinese man who developed ventricular tachycardiac following vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine … details of that case appear below.
Ventricular tachycardia from myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination with tozinameran (BNT162b2, Pfizer-BioNTech)
2022 Mar 19
National Library of Medicine – To combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries have started population vaccination programs using messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines. With the widespread use of such vaccines, reports are emerging worldwide, of the vaccine’s association with the development of myocarditis.
Younger men are more likely to develop postvaccine myocarditis, which usually presents as self-limiting chest pain within a week after the second dose.
We present a case of myocarditis following vaccination with tozinameran (BNT162b2, Pfizer-BioNTech), which presented late, with ventricular tachycardia (VT) reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).
Wiley Online Library Case Report
A 26-year-old Chinese male with no significant past medical history presented to his primary care physician, with a 1-day history of epigastric discomfort and general malaise.
Prior to this, he had completed his COVID-19 vaccination with the tozinameran mRNA vaccine, receiving his first and second doses 22 days apart. He had refrained from exercise for a week after his second dose, only returning to his usual running after that.
He was able to complete his usual 8 km jogging route on 14 days after his second dose but was only able to manage 4 km on 2 days after that, limited by fatigue.
He saw his primary care physician 18 days after his second dose for nonspecific symptoms. At his primary care clinic, he was found to be tachycardic at 170 bpm and was promptly referred to the emergency department.
At the emergency department, patient was noted to be tachycardiac with heart rate of about 170 bpm. Blood pressure was 98/73 mmHg. Patient was still alert and physical examination was unremarkable apart from tachycardia.
Initial electrocardiogram (ECG) showed a regular, wide complex tachycardia at a rate of 173 bpm, with atrioventricular dissociation. QRS duration was 150 ms, with a right bundle branch block (RBBB) pattern in lead V1. Right axis deviation was noted (Figure 1). Read more.
