Acute myocardial infarction caused by blunt chest trauma: A case report

Post-traumatic left anterior descending artery dissection

BACKGROUND

Patients who experience trauma, particularly thoracic trauma, may be at risk for missed cardiac injury.

CASE REPORT

We present a case of a 36-year-old male presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) as a trauma after a high-speed motor vehicle crash. After computed tomography (CT) scans revealed a right hemopneumothorax and multiple orthopedic injuries, the patient was admitted to the trauma neuroscience intensive care unit (TNICU), where telemetry revealed ST elevations. An electrocardiogram (EKG) was performed and he was noted to have an acute anterolateral STEMI. The patient was intubated and underwent a cardiac catheterization that revealed a dissection of his left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and a stent was successfully placed. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: In cases of trauma patients who can't report the symptoms they are experiencing, or have distracting injury, there is the potential for a missed diagnosis of either significant cardiac injury and/or myocardial infarction (MI). Emergency physicians should be aware that an EKG is recommended in the ED evaluation of a trauma patient, especially those with thoracic trauma.

ST-segment elevation after blunt chest trauma: myocardial contusion with normal coronary arteries or myocardial infarction following coronary lesions

Cardiac lesions secondary to blunt chest trauma vary from insignificant arrhythmias to fatal cardiac rupture. Of these, a distinction remains difficult; face to ST-segment elevation on ECG with positive cardiac biomarkers, is it a myocardial contusion or a genuine myocardial infarction (MI) secondary to coronary lesions? We report the case of a patient admitted for multiple trauma. Initial assessment showed an ST segment elevation on ECG, along with multiple fractures and abdominal injuries. We would like to discuss, through this case, the similarities and the differences between myocardial infarction due to coronary lesions and myocardial contusion in a traumatic context, but also emphasize the difficulty of striking the right balance between thrombotic and bleeding risks in this situation, and insist on the importance of a multidisciplinary and collegial reflexion so we can offer these patients the best care there is.

Traumatic Coronary Dissection: Case Presentation and Literature Review

In posttraumatic coronary dissection, a small intimal tear occurs due to the sudden compression of the thoracic wall during the chest trauma, this being sometimes fatal. We present the case of a 56-year-old truck driver with chest trauma after a car crash. The 12-lead ECG showed signs suggestive of an acute anterior myocardial infarction, and the coronary angiography confirmed an arterial dissection of the left anterior descending coronary artery. A stent was inserted the same day, and the patient was treated accordingly. He survived for a total of three days. The autopsy and histological examination confirmed the MI and the coronary dissection. The chest trauma was linked to the patient’s death. The literature review reveals 46 cases in which the most frequent cause of chest trauma was a car or motorcycle accident; also, young male subjects were more frequently involved. Stent placement was the main course of treatment, and a delay in the onset of symptoms was also frequent.

Right ventricular marginal branch occlusion after blunt force trauma to the chest

Coronary artery occlusion following a blunt trauma is a rare complication. We report a case of a 56-year-old man who experienced an intermediate code trauma following a motor vehicle accident. The patient had a visible ‘seat-belt sign’ and complained of chest pain. Initial electrocardiogram showed mild ST segment elevation accompanied by elevation of cardiac enzymes. Echocardiogram and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging were consistent with right ventricular systolic dysfunction. Coronary angiogram revealed 100% occlusion of proximal right ventricular marginal branch. The patient was managed medically. This case presents a rare case of right ventricular marginal occlusion following blunt chest trauma.

A Rare Case of Acute Myocardial Infarction due to Coronary Artery Dissection and Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia

Although both coronary artery dissection and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia may provoke myocardial infarction, it is extremely rare for both conditions to develop simultaneously in a single patient. We report a case of a 69-year-old woman who sustained a head-on motor vehicle accident with associated chest trauma. During a subsequent hospitalization, she was exposed to subcutaneous heparin and developed significant thrombocytopenia. Shortly thereafter, she re-presented with an acute myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography revealed a spiral dissection with superimposed thrombosis within the right coronary artery, while laboratory testing confirmed the diagnosis of heparin induced thrombocytopenia. She was treated with catheter-based thrombectomy and adjunctive direct thrombin inhibitor therapy, followed by three months of systemic anticoagulation with warfarin. To our knowledge, this represents the first published case of a native vessel myocardial infarction due to the combination of coronary artery dissection and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.