Ventricular arrhythmia solved by surgical correction of pectus excavatum

Pectus excavatum may be purely cosmetic but it may also lead to physiological changes with functional consequences, such as heart palpitations or shortness of breath. In this case report from physicians in Portugal, a teenage patient with PE experienced frequent palpitations, which can feel like abnormal heart thumping, either in terms of rate or pattern. In this case, the patient had the necessary medical diagnostic tests and was found to have right ventricular compression due to the deviation of the breast bone from PE. This heart condition was reversed with surgical treatment of PE. This case exemplifies the medical benefit of PE surgery that can be appreciated in select cases. Proper diagnostic workup and selection consideration prior to surgery is important and recommended.