BACKGROUND Left ventricular free wall rupture is a frequent catastrophic complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and occurs in 1-3% of patients with acute myocardial infarction; it is the third most common cause of death caused by acute myocardial infarction, too. CASE REPORT We describe acute left ventricular free wall rupture due to acute myocardial infarction in a 60-year-old man...

BACKGROUND Left ventricular free wall rupture occurs in up to 10% of the in-hospital deaths following myocardial infarction. It is mainly associated with posterolateral myocardial infarction and its antemortem diagnosis is rarely made. Contrast echocardiography has been increasingly used for the evaluation of myocardial perfusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction, with important prog...

The mortality of postinfarction left ventricular free wall rupture is still high. Several surgical techniques have been used for repairing such ruptures. Here, we describe using an infarction exclusion technique to successfully treat a case of a blow-out type postinfarction left ventricular free wall rupture. This technique has frequently been used for repairing postinfarction ventricular septa...

Ventricular free wall rupture is a rare, usually fatal complication of acute myocardial infarction. Subacute free wall rupture with pseudoaneurysm formation is even rarer, but may be associated with a chance of survival if surgery is performed expeditiously. Although rupture of the left ventricle is more common, right-sided rupture has also been reported. We report an unusual case of post-infar...

Left ventricular free wall rupture and acute ischaemic mitral regurgitation are nowadays rare, but still potentially lethal mechanical complications after acute myocardial infarction. We report a case of a sequential left ventricular free wall rupture, anterolateral papillary muscle disruption, secondary severe mitral regurgitation and subsequent posteromedial papillary muscle head rupture in a...

Patients with their first myocardial infarction (MI), who present to the emergency department many hours after the onset of chest pain, who appear to be improving but suddenly develop new chest pain and unexpected hypotension (with or without signs of cardiac tamponade), should be suspected of having ventricular free wall rupture (VFWR). The mainstay of treatment is surgery. These patients may ...

Left ventricular free wall rupture often presents with an abrupt onset and rapidly progresses towards cardiogenic shock or electromechanical dissociation. The diagnostic pathway is still a matter of debate: echocardiography is commonly decisive but the assessment of coronary artery status is essential in order to optimize the surgical procedure. However, a preoperative coronary angiography coul...

A 65-year-old woman presenting with a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm 27 months after sutureless repair of a subacute left ventricular free wall rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction is described. An autologous pericardial patch and gelatin resorcin formaldehyde (GRF) glue were used in the repair. A small pseudoaneurysm bulged out over the true aneurysm of the left ventricle. We perf...