Highlights that acute noncardiac illnesses like severe meningoencephalitis can cause reversible, non-ischaemic myocardial dysfunction and ECG changes mimicking ischaemia due to focal myocytolysis.
We report electrocardiographic changes mimicking myocardial ischaemia in a 73-year-old man with fatal pneumococcal meningoencephalitis, present the autopsy-confirmed histological picture of extensive focal myocytolysis (contraction band necrosis) without myocardial infarction or myocarditis, and review the contemporary literature. Potentially reversible, probably non-ischaemic myocardial dysfunction may occur in association with acute noncardiac illnesses, such as brain injuries. Biochemical and morphological abnormalities in acutely failing hearts from head-injured organ donors point to specific pathophysiological mechanisms, which are different from heart failure from other causes. Sepsis-related factors may add to the myocardial dysfunction in patients with brain injury from meningoencephalitis.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Brander et al. (2003) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: