Traumatic Motor Vehicle Accident Results in POTS

Case Overview

This case involves a twenty-eight-year-old female patient who was in a traumatic motor vehicle accident that left her with several complications. She had been attempting to adjust the AC and heat controls on her Jeep Wrangler when another vehicle collided with her, causing a devastating crash that left her severely injured. The most debilitating was her battle with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS that developed shortly after her discharge from the hospital. For over a year, the patient was always tired, had intermittent chest pain, became overheated easily, and had excruciating headaches on a daily basis. Various medical specialists, including a cardiologist, rheumatologist, and neurologist failed to find a physical cause for her symptoms. Some physicians claimed she should see a psychiatrist because she was malingering, depressed, manipulative, and overly anxious, which necessitated psychotropic medication.

Questions to the Electrical expert and their responses

Is it possible that this condition was linked to the motor vehicle accident?

The most frequent form of primary POTS is the “partial dysautonomic” (or PD) form, which has yet to be linked to trauma such as a motor vehicle accident.

About the expert

This actively practicing, board certified cardiac electrophysiologist is also fellowship trained in his field. He is a leading expert in cardiac irregularities such postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and has both published and performed grant funded research projects in his field.