Ventricular apical wall rupture and ventricular aneurysm formation concurrent with ventricular septal dissection and rupture due to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a case report.

The most common mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction include free-wall rupture, ventricular septal rupture (VSR), papillary muscle rupture and pseudoaneurysm. It is rare for a patient to experience more than one mechanical complication simultaneously. Here, we present a case of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) complicated with three mechanical complications, including ventricular apical wall rupture, ventricular aneurysm formation and ventricular septal dissection (VSD) with VSR. Cardiac auscultation revealed rhythmic S1 and S2 with a grade 3 holosystolic murmur at the left sternal border. Electrocardiogram indicated anterior ventricular STEMI. Serological tests showed a significant elevated troponin I. Bedside echocardiography revealed ventricular apical wall rupture, apical left ventricle aneurysm and VSD with VSR near the apex. This case demonstrates that several rare mechanical complications can occur simultaneously secondary to STEMI and highlights the importance of bedside echocardiography in the early diagnosis of mechanical complications.

Transcatheter closure of ventricular septal rupture with prolonged support of intra-aortic balloon pump after primary PCI: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is a rare but severe complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). For such cases, surgical repair is recommended by major guidelines, but not always possible for such cases. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72-year-old man presented to the emergency room. ECG showed the ST-segment was elevated by 2-3 mm in lead II, III, and aVF, with Q-waves. Coronary angiography (CAG) showed multi-vessel disease with a total occlusion of the right coronary artery (RCA) and severe stenosis of the left anterior descending artery (LAD). A diagnosis of acute inferior myocardial infarction was made. VSR occurred immediately after percutaneous coronary intervention (a 2.5 × 20 mm drug-eluting stent implanted in RCA), and the patient developed cardiogenic shock. An intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) was used to stabilize the hemodynamics. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed an 11.4-mm left-to-right shunt in the interventricular septum. An attempt was made to reduce the IABP augmentation ratio for weaning on day 12 but failed. Transcatheter closure was conducted using a 24-mm double-umbrella occluder on day 28. The patient was weaned from IABP on day 31 and underwent secondary PCI for LAD lesions on day 35. The patient was discharged on day 41. Upon the last follow-up 6 years later, CAG and TTE revealed no in-stent restenosis, no left-to-right shunt, and 51% left ventricular ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged implementation of IABP can be a viable option to allow deferred closure of VSR in AMI patients, and transcatheter closure may be considered as a second choice for the selected senior and vulnerable patients, but the risk is still high.

Ventricular Septal Rupture After Recent Myocardial Infarction in the Very Elderly.

Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is one of the fatal complications of myocardial infarction in the percutaneous coronary intervention era. A rapid diagnosis, medical and mechanical support, and surgical intervention are required for recovery and survival. In such a situation, the risk of complications associated with surgery is very high, especially in very elderly patients, in which any therapeutic strategy should be carefully discussed by the heart team. Herein, we describe two cases of VSRs after recent myocardial infarction (RMI) in very elderly patients that required debate regarding whether to perform surgery. The patients included a 93-year-old man and 89-year-old man, both of which were not highly frail before the RMI occurred. In the former case, a conservative strategy was adopted because the risk of surgery was considered, but he did not survive. On the other hand, the latter patient underwent surgery and his life was ultimately saved. Based on these two cases, we concluded that even if the patients are very old, if possible, surgical intervention should be fully considered.

Intra-aortic balloon pump insertion through the right subclavian artery in a patient of anterior wall myocardial infarction with ventricular septal rupture and severe peripheral artery obstruction disease.

Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is used in cardiogenic shock of different etiologies. Routinely, it is inserted through the transfemoral access, but in the patients with severe peripheral artery obstruction disease (PAOD), use of alternative approach is needed. In this case report, IABP insertion through the right subclavian artery with the help of cardiothoracic surgeon in a patient of anterior wall myocardial infarction (AWMI) with severe PAOD has been described. A 60-years-old male patient, with the history of chronic smoking, presented with progressing chest pain for last 3 days. On the basis of clinical examination and radiological findings, he was diagnosed with AWMI along with the ventricular septal rupture and PAOD. The patient was advised to undergo coronary artery bypass graft with VSR repair, but to stabilize the patient, it was necessary to put him on IABP. Because of the severe PAOD, femoral access was not suitable to insert the IABP, and hence, the right subclavian route was accessed. Then, the patient was operated and no other complications were encountered. Subclavian arterial IABP insertion under local anesthesia is easier and safer to perform and allows increased patient mobility. Other routes, such as, ascending aorta and axillary artery have also been discussed in other literatures, but subclavian arterial IABP insertion was found to be the best in the patients with severe PAOD. Trans-subclavian route is an effective approach in extended IABP utilization even in patients with severe PAOD. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Biventricular Rupture with Extracardiac Left-to-Right Shunt Complicating Acute Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Simultaneous rupture of the left and right ventricles is an extremely rare mechanical complication of acute myocardial infarction (MI). When associated with the formation of a false aneurysm, an extracardiac left-to-right shunt may occur. METHODS: We summarized all published data describing this unique condition. We searched the PubMed and Google Scholar databases for case reports in peer-reviewed journals from 1 January 1980 to 1 May 2015. We identified 16 articles describing 17 cases. RESULTS: In all but 1 case, biventricular wall rupture (BVWR) resulted from an inferior MI. The clinical presentations of BVWR were variable and included cardiogenic shock, congestive heart failure and an absence of any cardiac symptoms. In most cases, there was a hemodynamically significant left-to-right shunt, with pulmonary to systemic blood flow (Qp/Qs) >2. Diagnostic difficulties were reported in most cases, and some patients were initially misdiagnosed as having ventricular septal rupture (VSR). Surgical closure of the defect was successful in most cases, and some asymptomatic patients were managed conservatively. CONCLUSION: BVWR with an intact interventricular septum and extracardiac left-to-right shunt is a rare mechanical complication of acute MI, often misdiagnosed as VSR. It has a variable clinical course, probably related to the magnitude of the shunt.

Early Mortality and Long-term Survival after Repair of Post-infarction Ventricular Septal Rupture: An Institutional Report of Experience.

BACKGROUND: To determine predictors of mortality after surgical management of post-infarction ventricular septal rupture repair. METHODS: A total of 63 patients (73.2%, mean age 67.22±7.71 years, male:female ratio; 35:28) underwent open heart surgery for post-infarction ventricular septal rupture repair. Patient demographics, operative data and postoperative parameters were analysed to reveal predictors of early mortality and long-term survival. RESULTS: In-hospital mortality was 54.0% (34/63). Time from myocardial infarction to operation ≤ 14 days (OR: 4.10, 95% CI 1.16-14.46, p=0.02), systolic pulmonary artery pressure > 45 mmHg (OR: 4.14, 95% CI 1.110-15.496, p=0.03) and age (years) (OR: 1.09, 95% CI 1.002-1.194, p=0.04) were found to be independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, presence of pulmonary oedema on admission (HR: 4.95, 95% CI 1.58-15.54, p=0.006), age (years) (HR: 1.09, 95% CI 1.009-1.180, p= 0.02) and cross-clamp time <60 min (HR: 3.93, 95% CI 1.13-13.64, p=0.03) were found to be independent predictors of long-term survival. Within a follow-up of a median of 60.0 months, five-year survival rate was 67±9.0%. CONCLUSION: In line with the previous studies, our study demonstrated the benefits of delaying the repair for post-infarction ventricular septal rupture to allow adequate myocardial healing if haemodynamic status of the patient allows.

Left-to-right shunt reduction with intra-aortic balloon pump in postmyocardial infarction ventricular septal defect.

This case aims to describe the hemodynamic effects of intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) in patients with ventricular septal defect (VSD) complicating myocardial infarction (MI). A 79-year-old man with no previous cardiovascular history presented to the emergency department with subacute inferior myocardial infarction associated with mild signs of systemic hypoperfusion. A transthoracic echocardiography revealed a large akinesia of the left ventricular inferior wall with preserved global left ventricular ejection fraction, as well as a large VSD in the midinferior portion of the interventricular septum. Coronary angiography showed an occlusion of the mid portion of a dominant circumflex coronary artery. The invasive hemodynamic evaluation showed a sizable left-to-right shunt (Q(p)/Q(s) = 3.1). Activation of the IABP led to an immediate reduction of the shunt (Q(p)/Q(s) = 2.4 = 22% reduction), an increase in systemic cardiac output (from 2.1 L/min to 2.4 L/min = +12%) and a decrease in the systemic vascular resistances (from 2240 to 1920 dyne-sec/cm(5) = 15% reduction). In patients with post-MI VSD, placement of IABP leads to an immediate reduction in left-to-right shunt and as a consequence to an increase in systemic cardiac output, which may allow hemodynamic stabilization of the patient prior to surgical VSD closure.

[Outcomes of surgical management of elderly and aged patients with complicated forms of coronary artery disease].

The article is dedicated to comparative analysis of surgical management of elderly and aged patients presenting with complicated forms of coronary artery disease (CAD). Suggested herein is an algorithm of concerning the choice of methods aimed at surgical correction of postinfarction aneurysms of the right ventricle of the heart and postinfarction ruptures of the interventricular septum in these patients, depending on the morphological structure of the right-ventricular postinfarction aneurysms and postinfarction ruptures of the interventricular septum, followed by determining the incidence rate of using "complete" and "incomplete" myocardial revascularization in elderly and aged patients with complicated forms of CAD depending on peculiarities of the coronary blood flow. Also considered herein is efficacy of preventing rethrombosis following correction of right-ventricular postinfarction aneurysms and thrombectomy. The article is based on studying a total of forty-two 60-to-78-year-old patients with CAD. The measures taken made it possible to decrease postoperative lethality and postoperative complications rate in the patients concerned.

Delayed Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction With Ventricular Septal Rupture Due to Patient Fear During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandmic, more patients are presenting with complications late after acute myocardial infarction. We report the case of a 71-year-old man who delayed seeking medical care for 2 weeks, despite progressive shortness of breath, cough, and tactile fever, for fear of contracting COVID-19 in the hospital. Clinical and echocardiographic evaluation revealed a ventricular septal rupture secondary to acute myocardial infarction. The patient underwent urgent cardiac catheterization, followed by successful saphenous vein grafting to the left anterior descending coronary artery and open surgical repair of the ventricular septal rupture with a bovine pericardial patch. This case highlights a potential long-lasting negative effect that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the care-seeking behavior and health of patients with acute cardiovascular disease.

Improving hemodynamics - Prolonged intra-aortic balloon pump usage in posterior ventricular septal rupture with right ventricle dysfunction.

The associated mortality and morbidity of posterior ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is quite high increasing to almost 80% due to severe right ventricle dysfunction and pulmonary artery hypertension. Herein, we present a case of posterior VSR due to inferior wall myocardial infarction who underwent surgery. Premature removal of intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) led to hemodynamic deterioration and he was salvaged with prolonged and prompt re-institution of IABP. This case also highlights the importance of IABP in right ventricle failure.

Transcatheter treatment of postinfarct ventricular septal defects.

Postinfarct ventricular septal defects (VSDs) are a mechanical complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with a very poor prognosis. They are estimated to occur in 0.2% of patients presenting with AMI, with 1-month survival of 6% without intervention. Guidelines recommend surgical repair, but recent advances in transcatheter technology, and bespoke device development, mean it is increasingly viable as a closure option. Surgical mortality is between 30% and 50% for all-comers, while in series of transcatheter closure, mortality was 32%. Transcatheter closure appears durable, with no evidence of late leaks and low long-term mortality in series with up to 5-year follow-up. Guidelines recommend early closure, which is likely to provide most benefit for patients regardless of the closure method. Multimodality cardiac imaging including echocardiography, CT and cardiac MRI can define size, shape, location of defects and their relationship to other cardiac structures, assisting with treatment decisions. Brief delay to allow stabilisation of the patient is appropriate, but untreated patients risk rapid deterioration. Mechanical circulatory support may be helpful, although the preferred modality is unclear. Transcatheter closure involves large bore venous access and the formation of an arteriovenous loop (under fluoroscopic and trans-oesophageal echocardiographic guidance) in order to facilitate deployment of the device in the defect and close the postinfarct VSD. Guidelines suggest transcatheter closure as an alternative to surgical repair in centres where appropriate expertise exists, but decisions for all patients with postinfarct VSD should be led by the multidisciplinary heart team.

Postinfarction inferior ventricular septal rupture: surgical repair through the right atrium.

Operative mortality of inferior postinfarct ventricular septal rupture (VSR) remains high. Previous reports have described a transatrial approach to access the VSR avoiding a ventriculotomy, thereby reducing the potential risks of myocardial damage, hemorrhage, and ventricular arrhythmias. The transatrial right ventricular patch or direct suture repair, however, is exposed to the left-to-right pressure gradient and is at risk of residual shunting. In this report, a transatrial approach is used, with direct suture of the VSR, patch exclusion of the right ventricle, and biological glue instillation to protect the patch from left ventricular pressures.

Measurement of cardiac output in ventricular rupture following acute myocardial infarction--pulmonary artery catheter vs transpulmonary thermodilution--a case report.

We compared the cardiac output measured by the transpulmonary aortic single indicator thermodilution method with that by the pulmonary artery catheterization in a patient with ventricular septal rupture after acute myocardial infarction. Though the former cardiac output was lower than the latter, in the presence of the ventricular septal rupture, the cardiac outputs were equal after the rupture was closed. This indicates that, while the cardiac output measured by the pulmonary artery catheter is influenced by the ventricular left-to-right shunt, transpulmonary aortic thermodilution method measures the true cardiac output of the left heart, which is responsible for organ perfusion.

Mechanical complications in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: A single centre experience.

BACKGROUND: The study aims to assess characteristics and outcomes of patients suffering a mechanical complication (MC) after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a contemporary cohort of patients in the percutaneous coronary intervention era. METHODS AND RESULTS: This retrospective single-center cohort study encompasses 2508 patients admitted with STEMI between March 9, 2009 and June 30, 2014. A total of 26 patients (1.1%) suffered a mechanical complication: ventricular septal rupture (VSR) in 17, ventricular free wall rupture (VFWR) in 2, a combination of VSD and VFWR in 2, and papillary muscle rupture (PMR) in 5 patients. Older age (74.5 ± 10.4 years versus 63.9 ± 13.1 years, p < 0.001), female sex (42.3% versus 23.3%, p = 0.034), and a longer latency period between symptom onset and angiography (> 24h: 42.3% versus 16.2%, p = 0.002) were more frequent among patients with MC as compared to patients without MC. The majority of MC patients had multivessel disease (77%) and presented in cardiogenic shock (Killip class IV: 73.1%). Nine patients (7 VSR, 2 VFWR & VSR) were treated conservatively and died. Out of the remaining 10 VSR patients, four underwent surgery, three underwent implantation of an occluder device, and another three patients had surgical repair following occluder device implantation. All patients with isolated VFWR and PMR underwent emergency surgery. At 30 days, mortality for VSR, VFWR, VFWR & VSR and PMR amounted to 71%, 50%, 100% and 0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Despite advances in the management of STEMI patients, mortality of mechanical complications stays considerable in this contemporary cohort. Older age, female sex, and a prolonged latency period between symptom onset and angiography are associated with the occurrence of these complications.

Percutaneous ventricular assist device support in a patient with a postinfarction ventricular septal defect.

Complications of acute myocardial infarction have decreased in number and severity due to the application of early thrombolytic coronary revascularization techniques. Nonetheless, the mortality rate associated with these complications remains high. Ventricular septal rupture is one of the complications that can occur after myocardial infarction. In the treatment of postinfarction ventricular septal rupture, the need for immediate closure to avoid acute hemodynamic compromise must be weighed against the need for delayed repair to enable the acutely necrotic myocardium to organize and to develop fibrotic tissue. We report the use of a minimally invasive TandemHeart percutaneous ventricular assist device for 18 days in a 58-year-old man who experienced postinfarction ventricular rupture. The hemodynamic support provided by the device allowed time for left ventricular recovery before attempted percutaneous closure of the ventricular septal rupture and after definitive surgical repair of the septal defect. To our knowledge, this is the 1st reported use of the TandemHeart for support before and after repair of a postinfarction ventricular septal rupture.

Postinfarction ventricular septal rupture closure without ventriculotomy.

Postinfarction ventricular septal rupture is a life-threatening complication of acute myocardial infarction. Although some novel techniques of ventricular septal rupture closure have been introduced, they involve ventriculotomy, a procedure that can cause a degree of impairment of the incised ventricle. We describe a case in which we closed a ventricular septal rupture through the tricuspid valve, without ventriculotomy.

A rationale for early extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with postinfarction ventricular septal rupture complicated by cardiogenic shock.

AIMS: Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) became a rare mechanical complication of myocardial infarction in the era of percutaneous coronary interventions but is associated with extreme mortality in patients who present with cardiogenic shock (CS). Promising outcomes have been reported with the use of circulatory support allowing haemodynamic stabilization, followed by delayed repair. Therefore, we analysed our experience with an early use of Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (V-A ECMO) for postinfarction VSR. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a retrospective search of institutional database for patients presenting with postinfarction VSR from January 2007 to June 2016. Data from 31 consecutive patients (mean age 69.5 ± 9.1 years) who were admitted to hospital were analysed. Seven out of 31 patients with VSR who were in refractory CS received V-A ECMO support preoperatively. ECMO improved end-organ perfusion with decreased lactate levels 24 hours after implantation (7.9 mmol/L vs. 1.6 mmol/L, p = 0.01), normalized arterial pH (7.25 vs. 7.40, p < 0.04), improved mean arterial pressure (64 mmHg vs. 83 mmHg, p < 0.01) and lowered heart rate (115/min vs. 68/min, p < 0.01). Mean duration of ECMO support was 12 days, 5 out of 7 patients underwent surgical repair, 4 were weaned from ECMO, 3 survived 30 days and 2 survived more than 1 year. The most frequent complication (5 patients) and the cause of death (3 patients) was bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience suggests that early V-A ECMO in patients with VSR and refractory CS might prevent irreversible multiorgan failure by improved end-organ perfusion. Bleeding complications remain an important limitation of this approach.

The In Vivo Morphology of Post-Infarct Ventricular Septal Defect and the Implications for Closure.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to define the dynamic in vivo morphology of post-infarct ventricular septal defect (PIVSD), which has not been previously described in living patients. BACKGROUND: PIVSD is a devastating complication of acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: The anatomic features of PIVSD, as demonstrated by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Thirty-two PIVSDs were assessed, 16 left coronary artery and 16 right coronary artery PIVSDs. PIVSDs were large (mean maximum dimension 26.5 ± 11.5 mm, mean area 5.2 ± 4.2 cm2) and oval (mean eccentricity index 1.7 ± 0.5), with thin margins (diastolic mean thickness 5 mm from the edge of the PIVSD 6.4 ± 3.0mm), and only 22% of PIVSDs were entirely confined to the septum. The defects could be larger in diastole or systole. The stem of the largest available Amplatzer occluder stem (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, Minnesota) filled only 50% of defects. Patients with small defects may survive without closure. Without closure, those with large defects die. If accepted for closure, PIVSD size and coronary territory did not predict survival >1 year (overall 60%). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first detailed anatomic description of PIVSD in living patients. Defects may be larger in systole or diastole, meaning that single-phase measurement is unsuitable. Its complex nature means that the most commonly available occluder device is frequently unsuitable. Successful closure leads to prolonged survival and should be attempted where possible. This study may lead to improved patient selection, closure techniques, and device design.

Traumatic ventricular septal rupture associated with rapid progression of heart failure despite low Qp/Qs ratio: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) secondary to blunt chest trauma is rare and associated with a diverse range of symptoms and clinical courses as well as disease severity. We present a case of traumatic VSR in which rapid progression of heart failure was observed in spite of relatively low pulmonary to systemic blood flow (Qp/Qs) ratio. CASE PRESENTATION: A 40-year-old male was transported to the emergency department approximately 12 h after blunt chest trauma. VSR was diagnosed by echocardiography, and right heart catheterization revealed a Qp/Qs ratio of 1.52. Although medical treatment was initially attempted, subsequent rapid progression of heart failure necessitated emergent surgical repair of VSR. CONCLUSIONS: Because small, asymptomatic VSR often close spontaneously, surgical repair of traumatic VSR is indicated when the shunt rate is relatively large or heart failure is present. However, the present case highlights the need to consider emergent surgical repair of traumatic VSR, even when the shunt rate is relatively small.

Rotura del septum interventricular post infarto agudo al miocardio: una complicación potencialmente letal Revisión de la literatura a propósito de un caso clínico / Ventricular septal rupture after acute myocardial infarction: a potentially lethal complication Case report and literature review

Rupture of the ventricular septum with the appearance of an interventricular communication is an infrequent and life-threatening mechanical complication after acute myocardial infarction. The advent of coronary reperfusion therapies has reduced the incidence of this complication, but mortality remains high. The clinical presentation varies from mild compromise with exertional dyspnea to severe compromise with cardiogenic shock. In this pathology, early diagnosis is fundamental and surgical repair is the treatment of choice. In this article we report an interesting clinical case about a 77-year-old woman who was belatedly referred to our hospital and diagnosed with postinfarction rupture of the ventricular septum with an unfortunately fatal evolution. Relevance of this case lies in its atypical clinical presentation which led to a delay in diagnosis and a missed opportunity for early reperfusion therapy. An updated literature review about rupture of the ventricular septum complicating acute myocardial infarction was carried out.