Acute pulmonary embolism mimicking inferior myocardial infarction.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a potentially life-threatening emergency that is sometimes difficult to diagnose due to nonspecific symptoms and findings. A 69-year-old male was admitted to our hospital with new-onset chest pain and sweating. The electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed sinus rhythm with ST elevations in the inferior leads. His angiogram showed noncritical coronary artery disease with a few plaques. Right heart catheterization was made, which revealed an elevated pulmonary artery pressure of 45/23 mmHg. A pulmonary angiogram was then performed, at first from the pulmonary trunk and then the right pulmonary artery, which showed occlusion of the pulmonary artery to the right lower lobe. This report emphasizes that acute PE should be suspected in every patient with ST elevation myocardial infarction and normal coronary arteries. ST changes may be in the inferior as well as the anterior leads.

Mean platelet volume/platelet count ratio as a predictor of stent thrombosis in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Despite the important role of some haematological parameters in tendency to thrombosis is known, their relationship with long-term stent thrombosis (ST) remains unclear. AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the association between the mean platelet volume (MPV) to platelet count (PC) ratio and long-term ST and mortality in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated successfully by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, according to their baseline MPV/PC ratios, 3667 consecutive STEMI patients undergoing pPCI were divided into three groups: tertile 1 (T1) (n = 1222, 0.357 ≥ MPV/PC ≥ 0.043), tertile 2 (T2) (n = 1222, 0.033 < MPV/PC < 0.043) and tertile 3 (T3) (n = 1223, 0.009 ≤ MPV/PC ≤ 0.032). Patients were followed up with for 5 years, focusing on ST and all-cause mortality outcomes. RESULTS: Patients with T1 displayed a greater 5-year ST rate, including a 2.76-fold greater (95% confidence interval 1.68-10.33) rate than that of patients with T3, who had the lowest rates and were used as the reference group. Meanwhile, the 5-year mortality rate was similarly higher among patients with T1 by 1.72 times (95% confidence interval 1.33-2.22) relative to that among patients with T3. These significant relationships persisted even after adjustment for all confounders. CONCLUSION: We found that higher MPV/PC ratios were associated with long-term ST and mortality. The MPV/PC ratio may constitute both a rapid and an easily obtainable parameter for identifying reliably high-risk patients who have undergone pPCI.