Acute left ventricular rupture following posterior wall myocardial infarction.
Free wall rupture, the most fearful complication of myocardial infarction, mostly attacks anterior walls. Acute rupture is characterized by rapid development of mechanical arrest accompanied with bradyarrhythmia or electromechanical dissociation. The majority of patients succumb to death as the result of cardiac tamponade. Risk factors are advanced age, female gender, the first-time myocardial infarction, hypertension, and ST-segment elevation. We report a rare case of posterior wall myocardial infarction complicated with left ventricular rupture initially presenting with junctional escape rhythm.
Huang
Chi-Ming
CM
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. cechiang@vghtpe.gov.tw
Chen
Li-Wei
LW
Huang
Sung-Hao
SH
Huang
Shao-Sung
SS
Wang
Kang-Ling
KL
Chiang
Chern-En
CE
D000208:Acute Disease; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006342:Heart Rupture, Post-Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery