Why the study?
Left ventricular free wall rupture after acute myocardial infarction is fatal, and cases of survival with a conservative treatment strategy are extremely rare.
This case report demonstrates that conservative treatment with pericardiocentesis can lead to survival in rare cases of left ventricular free wall rupture following STEMI.
Survival after LVFWR with conservative management is notable; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
Left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) is a rare and fatal mechanical complication following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Cases of survival after LVFWR due to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with a conservative treatment strategy are extremely rare. In this case, a 55-year-old male patient with several cardiovascular risk factors presented to the emergency department with symptoms of ongoing chest pain and syncope. The patient's electrocardiogram was in sinus rhythm with ST-elevation on I, aVL, and V4-6 leads. His myoglobin and troponin I levels were elevated. Due to the unstable hemodynamic state of the patient, bedside echocardiography was performed. The echocardiography indicated LVFWR after AMI. Pericardiocentesis was used to restore a satisfactory hemodynamic state in the patient. Following the initial treatment, the patient opted for a conservative treatment strategy and was uneventfully discharged after 19 days.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Yan et al. (2020) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: