Coronary embolism causing myocardial infarction in a patient with mechanical aortic valve prosthesis

Coronary embolism as a cause of myocardial infarction is an uncommon but important entity both in terms of aetiology and treatment. Previous cases of coronary emboli in association with prosthetic mechanical valves have been reported previously but the mechanism of pharmacology and lack of patient awareness of medication importance is quite unique in this case. A 65-year-old male presented to the emergency room with an anterior ST elevation myocardial infarction after 14 h of symptoms. Past medical history included aortic valve replacement with a mechanical tilting-disc valve 18 months earlier for symptomatic severe calcific aortic stenosis. Pre-operative coronary angiography revealed normal coronary arteries. On this occasion, coronary angiography revealed an occluded LAD with an embolic occlusion at the midpoint of the vessel. Successful PTCA and stenting of the lesion were performed. Amazingly, the patient had decided 1 year earlier to stop taking his warfarin medication. He had begun taking a new "herbal remedy" which was helping with his joint pains but the combination with warfarin was causing excessive bleeding each day after facial shaving. He therefore decided to abruptly stop taking his warfarin without any medical advice. Embolic myocardial infarction is underdiagnosed and it is important to diagnose the source of embolism and treat the cause. Patient education is vital in our battle to prevent this entity in high-risk patients as in our case.     

Papillary fibroelastoma of the aortic valve in a 67-year-old patient after myocardial infarction

We present a case of a 67-year-old female patient with diagnosed papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) of the aortic valve. Eight months before the tumour discovery a non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction without essential coronary artery restriction was diagnosed. The tumour was excised (during the aortotomy under cardiopulmonary bypass at systemic hypothermia) without any aortic valve injury. The main symptoms of PFE along with diagnostic techniques and treatment were described.     

Amyloid, thrombosis, and acute myocardial infarction in association with a bicuspid aortic valve.

A 34 year old man presented with an inferior non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. Echocardiography showed a bicuspid aortic valve with aortic outflow obstruction. Left coronary cusp morphology was normal but the right coronary cusp was grossly distorted and replaced by a mobile echodense mass encroaching upon the aortic valve orifice. The aortic valve was replaced and pathological analysis of the excised valve showed primary amyloid infiltration of the right coronary cusp but a normal left coronary cusp. The mass adherent to the right coronary leaflet had the histological appearances of organised thrombus and this was assumed to be the source of coronary embolism. This is the first reported case of primary valvar amyloid presenting with clinical sequelae and it illustrates the need for careful clinical assessment in young patients presenting with acute ischaemic syndromes.     

Severe hypoxemia in a patient with acute myocardial infarction

A case report of a patient with acute myocardial infarction and severe hypoxemia due to acute right to left interatrial shunt (RLIAS) is presented. Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are discussed. (Int J Cardiovasc Intervent 2004; 2: 85–87)     

Antiphospholipid syndrome with myocardial infarction and aortic valve involvement

The primary antiphospholipid syndrome is a disorder which is characterized by: arterial and/or venous thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, recurrent fetal loss and high plasma levels of antiphospholipid antibodies. Valvular involvement is associated with arterial thrombosis and the most frequent manifestation is regurgitation. We report the case of a young male with primary antiphospholipid syndrome and previous cerebrovascular thrombosis hospitalized for subacute myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography revealed right and left anterior descendent coronary artery stenosis, the latter being successfully recanalized by direct percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated aortic valve involvement with predominant regurgitation and transesophageal echocardiography detected valve excrescences on the aortic leaflets. Laboratory study demonstrated thrombocytopenia, prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time and high titers of anticardiolipin antibodies. Oral anticoagulation therapy was started. Thrombotic events have not recurred after three months of follow-up.     

Managing the diabetic patient with acute myocardial infarction

The diabetic patient has a substantially increased in-hospital mortality after acute myocardial infarction, which is around twice that of non-diabetic subjects. A number of interventions can substantially improve this outcome. The use of thrombolytic therapy reduces case fatality proportionately to a similar degree to that in non-diabetic patients, but because of the higher background risk, absolute benefits are substantially greater. In the world literature, there is just one reported case of intraocular haemorrhage after thrombolysis in a diabetic patient, and that resolved in 3 weeks, meaning that anxieties around theoretical adverse effects of thrombolysis should not preclude its use. There is no evidence regarding the advantages of any one thrombolytic agent in these subjects. Aspirin treatment again has similar benefits to those in non-diabetic subjects, and should be administered at presentation. Some evidence suggests that a higher dose of aspirin should be used in diabetic, compared to non-diabetic, patients. Finally, the DIGAMI Study has shown that insulin and glucose infusion during the hospital admission, followed by multiple injection therapy thereafter, reduces mortality by around one-third, both at 12 months and at around 3½ years. Whether these advantages are because of improved early or late glycaemic control, or because of withdrawal of sulphonylureas, is still unclear, but this uncertainty should not stand in the way of introducing policies for insulin infusion in all diabetic patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multiple complex coronary plaques in a patient with acute myocardial infarction

 This report describes the case of a patient who developed acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation in anterior and inferior leads, simultaneously. After treatment with systemic thrombolysis, and after an initial short-lasting symptomatic improvement, chest pain and ST segment elevation recurred. Coronary angiography revealed severe complex stenotic lesions at both the right coronary artery and the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. Percutaneous coronary angioplasty and stent implantation were successfully performed at both lesions. This case supports the concept that, at least in some patients, acute coronary artery disease reflects a diffuse pathophysiologic process that may lead to multifocal plaque instability associated with clinical instability at multiple sites. Received: November 12, 2001 / Accepted: February 16, 2002     

Mechanical reperfusion during acute myocardial infarction in a patient with dextrocardia

Mechanical reperfusion is the preferred treatment for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction, we describe a case of successful primary angioplasty and stenting in a patient with dextrocardia and situs inversus. Dextrocardia with complete situs inversus is a rare condition, occurring in about 2 in 10,000 live births. However, ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction have been reported in patients with dextrocardia, and hence the coexistence of myocardial infarction and dextrocardia is not unusual. The incidence of atherosclerosis in this group is not known, but is considered to be the same as that in the general population. There have been a few reports of percutaneous coronary intervention in these patients. We describe a case of primary angioplasty and stenting in a patient with dextrocardia and situs inversus and the electrocardiographic correlation of successful myocardial reperfusion.     

Coronary spasm-related acute myocardial infarction in a patient with essential thrombocythemia

We report a case of essential thrombocythemia(ET) in a 30-year-old female who exhibited inferior wall ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction(AMI) without significant obstructive coronary artery disease.Right coronary vasospasm was observed after intra-coronary methylergonovine administration and she received verapamil 120 mg/d thereafter and hydroxyurea 1500 mg/d for thrombocythemia.After discontinuation of the hydroxyurea for 9 mo based on the impression of coronary spasm-related instead of coronary thrombosis-related AMI,her platelet count rose but no chest pain was observed.It is suggested that coronary spasm potentially plays a role in patients with ET,AMI and no significant coronary artery stenosis.     

Giant R-waves in a patient with an acute inferior myocardial infarction

We describe a case of a male patient with "giant" R-waves (GRWs) in association with an acute inferior myocardial infarction (MI). Such electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern has been associated heretofore with the hyperacute phase of an anterior MI, and unstable, and variant angina, although it is found in illustrations of many previous publications in conjunction with inferior MI. The GRWs, along with ST-segment elevations, were noted transiently in the inferior ECG leads, early in the clinical course of our patient. Subsequent evolution of the ECG revealed classic appearances for an inferior MI. Cardiac enzymes, and thallium-201 myocardial perfusion scintigraphy revealed evidence for inferiorly-located myocardial necrosis. Coronary arteriography showed stenosis of the right coronary artery, for which the patient underwent an uneventful angioplasty and "stenting" of the culprit vessel. The pathophysiology of the syndrome of GRWs is briefly discussed.     

Pseudo gray platelet syndrome in a patient with acute myocardial infarction

We report a patient with pseudo gray platelet syndrome. He was admitted to our hospital because of acute myocardial infarction. He had platelets that were stained poorly and appeared gray and agranular under a light microscope. This appearance is a characteristic feature of gray platelet syndrome. However, in this case, no bleeding tendency was observed and the abnormality was dependent on the presence of ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) and did not occur in a nonanticoagulant, trisodium citrate dihydrate and heparin. There are few reports of this pseudo gray platelet syndrome and, in fact, this is the first report of the syndrome in Japan, possibly because the phenomenon has been unrecognized and passed over in the past.     

Modern approach to the patient with acute myocardial infarction

This presentation has described the modern approach to the patient presenting with chest pain suspected as acute myocardial infarction. Noninvasive and invasive methods have been applied to estimate the extent of the myocardial damage and to monitor the electrical, hemodynamic and metabolic changes during the acute phase. In addition to the use of standard analgesics and antiarrhythmics, measurement of the determinants of left ventricular function by noninvasive and invasive techniques provides a physiologic basis for administration of available pharmacologic agents that can alter the afterload, contractile state, preload, heart rate, metabolic state and infarct size. Information from the Swan-Ganz catheter can describe hemodynamic categories that can be optimally managed by regulation of the left ventricular filling pressure. Patients managed in this manner can be identified for early hospital discharge at 7–10 days. Other patients less than 50 years of age or those experiencing recurrent arrythmias, ischemic pain or evidence of left ventricular dysfunction may be candidates for coronary arteriography and left ventricular angiography before hospital discharge.