Emergency adrenalectomy due to acute heart failure secondary to complicated pheochromocytoma: a case report

Pheochromocytomas are catecholamine producing tumors arising mostly from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla. The most common clinical presentation is hypertension, mainly in the form of paroxymal episodes. Cardiovascular manifestations include malignant arrhythmia and catecholamine cardiomyopathy, mimicking acute coronary syndromes and acute heart failure. There are reports of pheochromocytomas presenting as acute coronary syndrome and rapidly leading to cardiogenic shock; the failure of intensive medical treatment in these cases has prompted the need for emergency adrenalectomy as the only remaining option. We report on a case of complicated pheochromocytoma presenting as cardiogenic shock, in which emergency adrenalectomy was performed following a total lack of response to intensive medical treatment.