Due to the elevated rate of mortality with which it is associated, left ventricular (LV) free wall rupture is a dreaded complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The incidence is especially high during the first 24 hours, after which it decreases progressively; beyond the fifth day post-AMI, this complication is uncommon. The onset is usually acute, in the form of cardiac tamponade, al...

Rupture of the left ventricular myocardium during the course of an acute myocardial infarction may affect the free wall, the interventricular septum, or the papillary muscles. When a rupture occurs, it is referred to as a mechanical complication of acute myocardial infarction. All mechanical complications may lead to cardiogenic shock. However, the location of the rupture can often be suspected...

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm is an uncommon complication after transmural myocardial infarction, occurring when a free wall rupture is contained by adhesions of the overlying pericardium preventing acute tamponade. In this report, an unusual case of a 61 year-old male with a giant apical left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after an unnoticed myocardial infarction is presented. On coronary angiog...

The 10-20% incidence of cardiac rupture in acute fatal myocardial infarction has not changed in the past century, and little is known about its pathophysiology. To determine whether expansion acute dilatation and thinning of the area of infarction not explained by resorption of necrotic tissue may be a variable predictive for rupture, we studied 110 consecutive autopsied patients who died of ac...

The 10-20% incidence of cardiac rupture in acute fatal myocardial infarction has not changed in the past century, and little is known about its pathophysiology. To determine whether expansion acute dilatation and thinning of the area of infarction not explained by resorption of necrotic tissue may be a variable predictive for rupture, we studied 110 consecutive autopsied patients who died of ac...

a 74-year-old male patient was admitted to our emergency department with post-mi angina. on account of the anginal complaint that continued for three days, a coronary artery angiography was undertaken. a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was performed, followed by the implantation of a coronary stent, and coronary perfusion (timi-3) was achieved in the left anterior descending arte...

A 69-year-old man with a 2-day history of chest pain was admitted to our hospital. His ECG was consistent with acute coronary syndrome (Figure 1A) and troponin I was elevated ( 50 ng/mL). Coronary angiography showed a totally occluded circumflex with extensive intraluminal thrombus but no other obstructive disease (Figure 1B). Because the chest pain had completely resolved and this was a late-p...

Left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) is still an uncommon catastrophic complication after acute myocardial infarction (MI), and it is one of the most frequent causes of sudden cardiac death. Immediate surgical repair is the treatment of choice. When LVFWR presents acutely with tamponade and cardiogenic shock in emergency department, salvage with a good outcome is still possible by timely ...