title: A heavy heart; A massive right atrial myxoma causing fatigue and shortness of breath.
abstract: Cardiac myxomas are rare. The clinical diagnosis of an atrial myxoma may occur in an asymptomatic patient but may also present with cardiac failure, syncope, arrythmias, or with vascular evidence of tumour embolisation. The delay in diagnosis from presentation is approximately ten months. We present the case of a 53-year-old woman who attended our Emergency Department with dyspnoea, fatigue and left sided chest pain. Investigations revealed a massive right atrial myxoma. The tumour was resected successfully. Emergency Physicians should be aware of the subtle ways in which an atrial myxoma can present because of the potential for fatal outcomes.
authors.affiliation: The Emergency Department, St Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4. simon.j.leonard@gmail.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryan
mesh_terms: D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009232:Myxoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery