Appropriate Surgical Repair of Ventricular Free Wall Rupture after Infarction: a Case Report.

Ventricular free wall rupture is a fatal mechanical complication of acute myocardial infarction. In some cases it can be represented as subacute clinic and may not cause death in a few minutes. Acute pseudo-aneurysms are extremely unstable and bound to fatal rupture. Herein we report a male patient who suffered dyspnea and mild chest pain, 4 weeks after acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Appropriate surgical repair of ventricular free wall rupture after infarction: a case report

Abstract Ventricular free wall rupture is a fatal mechanical complication of acute myocardial infarction. In some cases it can be represented as subacute clinic and may not cause death in a few minutes. Acute pseudo-aneurysms are extremely unstable and bound to fatal rupture. Herein we report a male patient who suffered dyspnea and mild chest pain, 4 weeks after acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Myocardial Rupture in Acute Myocardial Infarction: Mechanistic Explanation Based on the Ventricular Myocardial Band Hypothesis.

BACKGROUND: Torrent-Guasp explains the structure of the ventricular myocardium by means of a helical muscular band. Our primary purpose was to demonstrate the utility of echocardiography in human and porcine hearts in identifying the segments of the myocardial band. The second purpose was to evaluate the relation of the topographic distribution of the myocardial band with some post-myocardial infarction ruptures. METHODS: Five porcine and one human heart without cardiopathy were dissected and the ventricular myocardial segments were color-coded for illustration and reconstruction purposes. These segments were then correlated to the conventional echocardiographic images. Afterwards in three cases with post-myocardial infarction rupture, a correlation of the topographic location of the rupture with the distribution of the ventricular band was made. RESULTS: The human ventricular band does not show any differences from the porcine band, which confirms the similarities of the four segments; these segments could be identified by echocardiography. In three cases with myocardial rupture, a correlation of the intra-myocardial dissection with the distribution of the ventricular band was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiography is helpful in identifying the myocardial band segments as well as the correlation with the topographic distribution of some myocardial post-infarction ruptures.

[Surgery of post myocardial infarction papillary muscle rupture]. / Cirugía de la rotura de músculo papilar por infarto miocárdico.

BACKGROUND: Papillary muscle rupture is a serious complication of myocardial infarction whose only treatment is surgery. AIM: To analyze our most recent surgical experience with papillary muscle rupture. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The database of our Service was reviewed for the period 1995-2005, to identify patients with papillary muscle rupture. Then, the clinical records and operating protocols were analyzed. Survival and functional class of patients were assessed. RESULTS: Twelve patients (7 men), aged 52 to 89 years, had papillary muscle rupture. They represented 2.2% of all mitral procedures for mitral insufficiency and 8.8% of mitral surgeries for ischemic mitral regurgitation, during the study period. In eight cases myocardial infarction was inferior, in three lateral and in one, anterior. In 10 patients, a mitral replacement was carried-out and in two the mitral valve was repaired. In seven patients, myocardial revascularization was performed. Mean lapse between infarction and surgery was 13.5 days (1 to 85). Two patients died in the perioperative period. Follow-up ranged from 1.7 to 120.4 months. Four patients died during follow-up, 2 due to a cardiovascular cause. Thus, at the end of follow-up 6 patients were alive. All were in functional class I-II. CONCLUSIONS: Papillary muscle rupture is an uncommon complication of myocardial infarction, with considerable operative and long-term mortality. However, survivors have good quality of life.

Dissecting intramyocardial hematoma: clinical presentation, pathophysiology, outcomes and delineation by echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: In large necropsy studies dissecting intramyocardial hematoma (DIH) with serpiginous tracts across the myocardial fibers has been reported in both the septum and the left ventricle free wall. METHODS: We studied 15 patients admitted to the hospital with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in which DIH was demonstrated by either transthoracic and/or transesophageal and confirmed intraoperatively or by necropsy. RESULTS: In nine patients the hemorrhagic dissection was predominantly in the septum and in the remaining it was in the free wall of the left ventricle (LV). Myocardial infarction involved the left ventricular inferior wall in two, and the anterior wall in 13 patients. The overall mortality was 47%, and in the group with septal hematoma it reached to 78%. Echocardiography disclosed the various acoustic densities of the evolving intramyocardial hematoma, its extension through the hemorrhagic dissection, its spontaneous reabsorption, as well as its communication with the ventricular cavities. CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiography is the method of choice for the noninvasive diagnosis of patients with suspected myocardial rupture and intramyocardial dissection postmyocardial infarction.

[Ventricular pseudoaneurysm. Clinical and echocardiographic evolution]. / Pseudoaneurisma ventricular. Evolución clínica y ecocardiogiráfica.

The case of a patient with cardiac rupture following a myocardial infarction is presented. The rupture led to the formation of a ventricular pseudoaneurysm that was occupied by a thrombus that sealed the breakthrough point. The patient has survived without surgical treatment during the last 5 years.

[Heart rupture in acute myocardial infarct: the advantages of using M-2D color Doppler echocardiography in a coronary intensive therapy unit]. / Rottura di cuore nell'infarto acuto del miocardio: vantaggi dell'uso dell'ecocardiografia M-2D color Doppler in unità di terapia intensiva coronarica.

BACKGROUND: Free-wall rupture of the heart is the second most common cause of death in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), following pump failure. Acute rupture is more common and rapidly fatal, while subacute rupture, which accounts for about 30% of total cases of mortality in AMI, can be diagnosed early by clinical signs with the support of echocardiography in coronary intensive care units. METHODS: From March 1996 to December 1997, 293 patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction were admitted to the coronary intensive care unit of our hospital. Of these patients, 71 (23.8%) were treated with thrombolysis within 6 hours of onset of symptoms. All patients were observed daily with M-2D color Doppler echocardiography and in the event of renewed chest pain, electrocardiogram changes, abrupt hypotension, syncope or clinical signs of low output syndrome. RESULTS: We observed 11 cases (3.8%) of free-wall rupture of the heart in acute myocardial infarction with echocardiography, 6 females and 5 males, with a mean age of 74.2 +/- 7.8 years (min. 56-max 84), none of whom had prior AMI. Six of them received thrombolytic therapy, six were hypertensive (54.5%) and three were diabetics (27.2%). Surgical repair was performed in two patients with subacute rupture, but one died a few days later. The echocardiography data at bedside for diagnosis of cardiac rupture were confirmed in 5 patients with autopsy and intraoperatively in two of them. CONCLUSIONS: Routine use of echocardiography in coronary intensive care units allows prompt diagnosis of cardiac rupture in acute myocardial infarction, and in the event of subacute rupture it can accelerate surgical decision-making.

[Diagnosis of papillary muscle rupture in acute myocardial infarction by transesophageal Doppler echocardiography]. / Diagnóstico da rotura do músculo papilar no infarto agudo do miocárdio através do ecodopplercardiograma transesofágico.

Three patients, two females, ages ranging from 62 to 78 years were studied, evolving with hypotension, acute pulmonary edema and cardiogenic shock. One had anterior myocardial infarction, and in two, infero-posterior. Due to severe hemodynamic instability and necessity of vasoactive drug therapy to maintain adequate arterial pressure, coronary angiography was performed in two, showing total occlusion of the circumflex artery and severe mitral regurgitation. In one case, angioplasty on the circumflex artery was successfully achieved. No hemodynamic improvement was observed, however. Doppler echocardiography depicted mild to moderate mitral regurgitation in the three cases. Transesophageal echo confirmed the clinical suspicion of papillary muscle rupture: total rupture of antero-lateral papillary muscle in one patient, as well as total and partial rupture of the postero-medial papillary muscle in the other two patients. Two patients were submitted to mitral valve replacement, and the surgical findings confirmed the transesophageal echo conclusions. One of them died in the immediate pos-operative period, whereas the other was discharged from the hospital and is doing well. The third patient died before operation. Differential diagnosis of acute mitral regurgitation due to papillary muscle dysfunction or rupture was not possible by left ventriculography or by transthoracic echo. Transesophageal echo was the only exam to clearly confirm papillary muscle rupture, as should be done promptly after clinical suspicion of this severe condition arises.