Key result
POCUS promptly reclassifies suspected STEMI as cardiac metastasis by detecting occult left ventricular masses.
Why the study?
The manifestations of cardiac metastases vary widely and can mimic acute coronary syndromes, complicating diagnosis and management.
Case Report (n=1)
Cardiac point-of-care ultrasound is an effective tool to differentiate myocardial tumor invasion from STEMI in patients with cancer presenting with localized and prolonged ST-segment elevation without biomarker changes.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May aid POCUS differentiation of cardiac metastasis from STEMI in cancer patients; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation.
Introduction: The manifestations of cardiac metastases are extremely variable depending on their location and extension. Case presentation: A 62-year-old man was admitted to the cardiac emergency department presenting with chest pain, worsening shortness of breath and palpitations. He had a history of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with chemoradiotherapy, and he was not diagnosed with cardiovascular disease before. The electrocardiogram showed significant ST-segment elevations in leads II, III, and aVF. Initially, the patient was diagnosed with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. A cardiac point-of-care ultrasound was performed immediately revealing two large heterogeneous masses in the left ventricular wall and the apex, which changed the diagnosis and the management strategy. There was no significant change in serial cardiac biomarkers in the setting of persistent STE. Thoracic computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance confirmed that the patient was suffering from cardiac and lung metastases. Conclusion: ECG findings of localized and prolonged STE without Q waves or changes in biomarkers may suggest myocardial tumor invasion, especially in the cancer setting. Cardiac point-of-care ultrasound is an effective, convenient, noninvasive imaging modality to guide real-time clinical decision-making.
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Le et al. (2023) conducted a case report in Cardiac metastasis mimicking STEMI (n=1). Cardiac point-of-care ultrasound was evaluated on Diagnosis and management strategy change. Cardiac point-of-care ultrasound immediately revealed two large heterogeneous masses in the left ventricular wall and apex, changing the diagnosis from STEMI to cardiac metastasis.
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