1/197. Long-term survival of a patient with left ventricular free wall rupture without surgical repair. This report describes the case of a patient who developed postinfarction left ventricular free wall rupture and cardiac tamponade. He was managed conservatively, made a successful recovery, and is alive and asymptomatic 10 months after the index episode. Only 17 cases in which the patients survived subacute rupture of the ventricular free wall over the long term without surgical repair have been reported in the literature. ( info) |
2/197. Subacute left ventricular free-wall rupture in early course of acute myocardial infarction. Clinical report of two cases and review of the literature. Left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) may complicate an acute myocardial infarction (AMI); its frequency ranges from 1 to 6 percent. In the era of coronary care units, LVFWR is the second cause of in-hospital death, after pump failure. The subacute presentation accounts for 2-3 percent of total hospital admissions for AMI. heart rupture may not be suddenly fatal and sometimes there is enough time for surgical repair. Electromechanical dissociation is neither the only nor the main clinical presentation. More subtle symptoms occurring hours or days before the final event include unexplained hypotension and transient bradycardia and some ECG features such as persistent ST-segment elevation with T-waves failing to invert in the same leads. On echocardiographic subcostal view, pericardial effusion of more than 5-10 mm, with echo-dense masses overlying the heart independently of cardiac tamponade, is highly suggestive of heart rupture. If pericardiocentesis yields hemorrhagic fluid, surgical intervention is mandatory, providing both diagnostic confirmation and definitive treatment. Medical management strategies (prolonged bed rest, beta-blockade therapy) are still experimental but could become suitable for particular subsets of patients (elderly patients and patients at a high surgical risk). We report two cases of subacute LVFWR and review the currently available literature. ( info) |
3/197. Potential utility of left heart contrast agents in diagnosis of myocardial rupture by 2-dimensional echocardiography. This case illustrates the use of intravenous injections of a contrast agent during 2-dimensional echocardiography in a patient with myocardial rupture after myocardial infarction. Intravenous injections of echocardiographic contrast agents may have potential use in the identification of intrapericardial hemorrhage after myocardial infarction caused by myocardial rupture or development of ventricular pseudoaneurysm. ( info) |
4/197. Acute cardiac rupture complicating pre-discharge exercise testing. A case report with complete echocardiographic follow-up. The case of a 76 year-old male who suffered acute free wall rupture and sudden hemodynamic deterioration during the recovery phase of a pre-discharge exercise testing (performed 7 days after a noncomplicated myocardial infarction) is presented. Usefulness of echocardiography in early diagnosis, management (guiding pericardiocentesis) and follow-up is remarked and, on the other hand, medical treatment after a successful resuscitation is confirmed as an alternative option in these cases. ( info) |
5/197. Catheter-based fixation of the mitral valve after acute papillary muscle rupture: a new technique for temporary hemodynamic stabilization. We describe a new, catheter-based method for temporary management of hemodynamic instability after papillary muscle rupture in a patient with an acute myocardial infarction. ( info) |
6/197. Left ventricular fibroma masquerading as postinfarction myocardial rupture. A large left ventricular fibroma was encountered perioperatively for what was presumed to be a sealed ventricular rupture after thrombolytic therapy for an acute myocardial infarction. We review the pertinent literature concerning the diagnosis of ventricular rupture and this rare benign tumor of the heart. ( info) |
7/197. Posterior myocardial infarction complicated by rupture of the posteromedial papillary muscle. A 61-year-old man was admitted with acute posterior myocardial infarction and, on physical examination, was shown to have a mitral regurgitation (MR) murmur. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) showed severe hypokinesis of the posterior wall and severe MR by color flow. Right heart catheterization with a balloon-tipped catheter revealed a pulmonary artery wedge pressure of 30 mmHg. No 'step-up' was seen in blood samples from the right atrium and right ventricle. On angiography, a subtotal occlusion of the mid circumflex artery was found which was angioplastied and stented. As the patient's clinical condition did not improve, he underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for further evaluation. This showed complete rupture of the posteromedial papillary muscle. The patient underwent urgent surgery with successful mitral valve replacement. The postoperative course was uncomplicated, and clinical improvement seen. This case report underscores the value of TEE in accurate preoperative diagnosis of papillary muscle rupture by providing preoperative anatomic details of the mitral valve apparatus and surrounding structures. ( info) |
8/197. Posterior-septal pseudo-pseudoaneurysm with limited left-to-right shunt: an unexpected easy repair. Cardiac rupture represents a fatal complication of acute myocardial infarction within the first two weeks. In exceptional cases, the postinfarction rupture of the myocardium is not transmural but remains circumscribed within the wall itself as a cavity joined to the left ventricle through a narrow neck. This finding is usually defined as pseudo-pseudoaneurysm. We report a rare case of postinfarction posterior pseudo-pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle, perforated into the right ventricle. This unusual anatomy resulted, over a period of several years, by progressive intramural dissection of the surrounding necrotic myocardium with late formation of a large, partially fibrotic chamber, communicating either with left and right ventricles. Despite correct preoperative diagnosis was not achieved by 2D echocardiography, pulsed Doppler and contrast ventriculography, a successful surgical treatment was possible with a really good outcome. ( info) |
9/197. Acute rupture of a left ventricular false aneurysm. Left ventricular aneurysm develop when rupture of the free ventricular wall is contained by the inflammatory surrounding tissues. These false aneurysms rupture secondarily and should be treated soon after diagnosis. The diagnosis is suggested by echocardiography and confirmed by cardiac catheterization. Immediate surgery is recommended, with good survival in most reports. The patient presented in this report had ruptured his left ventricular false aneurysm before diagnosis. He was operated and had a good initial postoperative course. He died later from a severe pulmonary infection. ( info) |
10/197. Alternative surgical management of post-infarction septal rupture: a case report. weaning a patient from cardiopulmonary bypass after repair of a postinfarction ventricular septal defect in the face of severe right ventricular failure is likely to be fatal. The use of a ventricular assist device may seem to be the only available option. We present an alternative surgical approach that we carried out in a 72-year-old woman. The right ventricular preload was decreased by adding a bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis to the septal rupture repair. ( info) |