Postinfarction cardiac rupture: surgical success and review of the literature

Biomechanics of infarcted left ventricle: a review of modelling

Mathematical modelling in biomechanics of infarcted left ventricle (LV) serves as an indispensable tool for remodelling mechanism exploration, LV biomechanical property estimation and therapy assessment after myocardial infarction (MI). However, a review of mathematical modelling after MI has not been seen in the literature so far. In the paper, a systematic review of mathematical models in biomechanics of infarcted LV was established. The models include comprehensive cardiovascular system model, essential LV pressure-volume and stress-stretch models, constitutive laws for passive myocardium and scars, tension models for active myocardium, collagen fibre orientation optimization models, fibroblast and collagen fibre growth/degradation models and integrated growth-electro-mechanical model after MI. The primary idea, unique characteristics and key equations of each model were identified and extracted. Discussions on the models were provided and followed research issues on them were addressed. Considerable improvements in the cardiovascular system model, LV aneurysm model, coupled agent-based models and integrated electro-mechanical-growth LV model are encouraged. Substantial attention should be paid to new constitutive laws with respect to stress-stretch curve and strain energy function for infarcted passive myocardium, collagen fibre orientation optimization in scar, cardiac rupture and tissue damage and viscoelastic effect post-MI in the future.

Biomechanics of infarcted left Ventricle-A review of experiments

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of leading diseases to contribute to annual death rate of 5% in the world. In the past decades, significant work has been devoted to this subject. Biomechanics of infarcted left ventricle (LV) is associated with MI diagnosis, understanding of remodelling, MI micro-structure and biomechanical property characterizations as well as MI therapy design and optimization, but the subject has not been reviewed presently. In the article, biomechanics of infarcted LV was reviewed in terms of experiments achieved in the subject so far. The concerned content includes experimental remodelling, kinematics and kinetics of infarcted LVs. A few important issues were discussed and several essential topics that need to be investigated further were summarized. Microstructure of MI tissue should be observed even carefully and compared between different methods for producing MI scar in the same animal model, and eventually correlated to passive biomechanical property by establishing innovative constitutive laws. More uniaxial or biaxial tensile tests are desirable on MI, border and remote tissues, and viscoelastic property identification should be performed in various time scales. Active contraction experiments on LV wall with MI should be conducted to clarify impaired LV pumping function and supply necessary data to the function modelling. Pressure-volume curves of LV with MI during diastole and systole for the human are also desirable to propose and validate constitutive laws for LV walls with MI.

Surgical Approach to Myocardial Rupture after Acute Myocardial Infarction

Rupture of the ventricular wall is a highly lethal complication of acute myocardial infarction that is diagnosed more frequently with the increased use of two-dimensional echocardiography. External patching techniques were used to treat 4 patients with ventricular rupture, thus avoiding resection of necrotic myocardium. Three of the patients survived. One patient developed a large left ventricular pseudoaneurysm requiring reoperation. The other 2 patients had intact repairs on follow-up echocardiogram obtained after 5 weeks and 3 years, respectively. With prompt recognition and treatment, patient survival and excellent short-term results can be achieved.

Subacute rupture of the free left ventricular wall following acute myocardial infarction. Report of an atypical case with successful surgical repair

In previously published cases of subacute or sealed postinfarction rupture of the free left ventricular wall, the patients presented a clinical picture of sudden shock and tamponade. Our patient, a 64-year-old man, suffered renewed chest pain on the fourth postinfarction day and went into cardiogenic shock, which was pharmacologically reversible. There were no bed-side signs of tamponade and the ECG showed the pattern of acute pericarditis, both features in contrast to previously reported cases in the literature. Echocardiography demonstrated localized fluid in the pericardial sac and a puncture revealed non-coagulating blood. The patient was successfully operated on. At surgery a small rupture sealed by blood clots was demonstrated in the infarcted inferior wall of the left ventricle.

Midterm clinical and echocardiographic results with patch glue repair of left ventricular free wall rupture

BACKGROUND

Left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) is a dramatic complication after myocardial infarction. We present our mid-term clinical and echocardiographic results of LVFWR with an epicardial patch without cardiopulmonary bypass.

METHODS

From February 1993 to May 2001, 17 patients underwent surgery for LVFWR. The mean age+/-SD of 12 males and 5 females was 68+/-10 years. All patients presented for emergency surgery with cardiac tamponade confirmed on echocardiography. After opening the chest and identification of the site of rupture, a Goretex patch was fashioned and applied with enbucrilate surgical glue.

RESULTS

Effective control of bleeding was achieved in all cases. There were no on-table deaths. The operative (30 day) mortality was 23.5% (4/17). One death occurred because of patch failure, two because of cardiogenic shock, and one from pneumonia. On follow-up at a median of 2.2 years (interquartile range, 1.1 to 4.3 years), two further deaths occurred, one from myocardial infarction and another of undetermined etiology. Echocardiography did not reveal any evidence of restriction to left ventricular free wall motion.

CONCLUSIONS

Patch glue repair is expedient, simple and effective; with no adverse effects on mid-term ventricular dynamics. In view of superior published results to infarctectomy and repair with extra corporeal circulation, it should be considered to be the initial procedure of choice for the surgical repair of LVFWR.

Ventricular free wall rupture following acute myocardial infarction

SUMMARY

Ventricular free wall rupture remains a dreaded complication of acute myocardial infarction. A dramatic fatal presentation is not universal and if recognized early, especially in its sub-acute form, a therapeutic intervention may be lifesaving. Changing trends in its natural history and the previously described pathological subtypes have emerged since the advent of thrombolysis. Although frequently unpredictable, certain clinical, echocardiographic and electrocardiographic signs should suggest the diagnosis. Moreover, knowledge of predisposing risk factors and a high index of suspicion are helpful in early recognition of this complication. In recent years, several different therapeutic approaches have been described including percutaneous seals and surgical mechanical closure of ventricular free wall rupture. In this review, we sought to highlight established and debatable aspects of this pathology to hopefully enhance prompt diagnosis and treatment by all clinicians caring for patients suffering acute myocardial infarction.

Ventricular aneurysm repair: a new approach

Repair of chronic left ventricular aneurysm or acute rupture of the heart after myocardial infarction is associated with technical difficulties and major morbidity and mortality. We describe a new endoventricular repair for both conditions. The repair consists of externally covering a Duran ring with Dacron and internally lining it with autologous pericardium. The modified ring is then sewn into the neck of the lesion. The technique is rapid, simple, and hemostatic. After repair of the chronic aneurysm, ventricular hemodynamics are improved during both diastole and systole. We have performed this technique in two patients with chronic aneurysm and one with subacute rupture.

Cardiac rupture and admission electrocardiography in acute anterior myocardial infarction: implication of ST elevation in aVL

This study determines the usefulness of electrocardiography in the emergency room for assessing the risk of cardiac rupture after acute anterior myocardial infarction (MI). The presence of ST segment elevation on the admission 12-lead electrocardiography was evaluated in 325 consecutive anterior MI patients. A forward-stepwise logistic regression analysis for cardiac rupture was performed with the covariates of age, gender, hypertension, history of MI, reperfusion therapy by coronary angioplasty, and ST segment elevations in leads I, aVL, V1-V6. Cardiac rupture occurred in 16 patients, including 7 with left ventricular free wall rupture (FWR) and 9 with ventricular septal perforation (VSP). For FWR, ST elevation in lead aVL was the only independent predictor (odds ratio = 12.1, P = .0215). For VSP, female gender (odds ratio = 5.32, P = .0201) was the independent predictor. In conclusion, in patients with acute anterior MI, ST segment elevation in lead aVL on the admission electrocardiography is a significant risk factor for left ventricular FWR.

Successful repair of a ruptured postinfarct pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle

We report a case of a 60-year-old woman who underwent emergency surgical repair of a ruptured pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle 10 days after acute myocardial infarction. The repair consisted of oversewing the rupture (2 cm long) on the posterior wall under cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient made a satisfactory recovery.

The potential impact of the thrombolytic era on cardiac rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction

Cardiac rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a serious diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The authors present 27 consecutive patients who died from cardiac rupture following AMI. These included 22 patients from 1975 through 1983 (prethrombolytic era) and 5 patients from 1984 through 1992 (postthrombolytic era) and all had postmortem examination. There were 16 men and 11 women with a mean age of seventy-two years. Myocardial infarction was anterior/anterolateral in 10 and inferior/inferoposterior in 17. Cardiac rupture followed AMI within one day in 14 (52%), two to five days in 8 (30%), and six to fourteen days in 5 (18%). Chest pain followed by sudden hypotension leading to electromechanical dissociation was the common terminal event. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was unsuccessful in all patients. Postmortem findings showed three-vessel coronary disease in 21 (78%) and two-vessel disease in 6 (22%). Isolated free left ventricular wall rupture was found in 22 (81%), was anterior/anterolateral in 13 (48%), posterior in 9 (33%), and in conjunction with interventricular septum or papillary muscle in 5 (18%). Patients encountered in this series were mostly elderly hypertensives with multivessel coronary disease and postinfarction angina. Furthermore, cardiac rupture commonly occurred within the first five days of AMI and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was uniformly unsuccessful. During the thrombolytic era at their institution, this complication is now being seen much less often. These observations suggest that such interventions are expected to have a favorable impact on reducing the incidence of this catastrophic event.

Subacute ventricular free wall rupture complicating myocardial infarction

Myocardial free wall rupture accounts for between 8% and 17% of mortality after myocardial infarction. In up to 40% of cases death occurs subacutely over a matter of hours, not minutes. Illustrative clinical cases and data suggest that a high degree of clinical suspicion, along with the early use of echocardiography, could significantly reduce mortality resulting from myocardial free wall rupture complicating myocardial infarction. Myocardial free wall rupture should be suspected in patients with recent myocardial infarction who have recurrent or persistent chest pain, hemodynamic instability, syncope, pericardial tamponade, or transient electromechanical dissociation. In this clinical situation, emergent echocardiography showing a pericardial effusion or pericardial thrombus is highly suggestive of free wall rupture. Surgical exploration and rupture repair is the definitive diagnostic and therapeutic procedure.

Subacute cardiac rupture: repair with a sutureless technique

Thirteen patients with ages between 53 and 74 years had development of free wall left ventricular rupture after a myocardial infarction (mean interval, 3.8 days). All patients showed clinical signs of cardiac tamponade. Diagnosis was established by bedside multiple pressure monitoring and echocardiography, which showed pericardial effusion with compression of the right ventricle. Cardiac catheterization was not performed. A new surgical technique was employed for the repair. After the pericardium was opened and cardiac tamponade was relieved, the myocardial tear was identified. A Teflon patch was applied over the area and glued to the heart surface with a surgical glue (cyanoacrylate). Cardiopulmonary bypass was not used except in a patient with a posterior tear. The method was consistently effective in controlling bleeding from the myocardial tear. All patients survived the operation and were discharged from the hospital a mean of 15 days after the operation. Follow-up extending up to 5 years (mean, 26 months) shows a 100% survival, 11 asymptomatic patients, and 2 patients with mild exertional angina. The technique is a simple, effective, and safe method for repair of subacute cardiac rupture and obviates the need for suturing on an infarcted ventricle.

Diagnosis of subacute ventricular wall rupture after acute myocardial infarction: sensitivity and specificity of clinical, hemodynamic and echocardiographic criteria

When ventricular free wall rupture after acute myocardial infarction is not followed by sudden death, it is referred to as subacute ventricular rupture. The sensitivity and specificity of clinical, hemodynamic and echocardiographic diagnostic variables obtained at bedside are unknown and were therefore prospectively studied in 1,247 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction including 33 patients with subacute ventricular rupture diagnosed at operation (group A) and 1,214 patients without ventricular rupture (at operation, postmortem study or at discharge) (group B). The incidence of syncope, recurrent chest pain, hypotension, electromechanical dissociation, cardiac tamponade, pericardial effusion, high acoustic intrapericardial echoes, right atrial and right ventricular wall compression identified in two-dimensional echocardiograms and hemopericardium demonstrated during pericardiocentesis was higher in group A than in group B (p less than 0.00001). The presence of cardiac tamponade, pericardial effusion greater than 5 mm, high density intrapericardial echoes or right atrial or right ventricular wall compression had a high diagnostic sensitivity (greater than or equal to 70%) and specificity (greater than 90%). The number of false positive diagnoses was always high for each diagnostic variable alone (greater than 20%), but the combination of clinical (hypotension), hemodynamic (cardiac tamponade) and echocardiographic variables allowed a sensitivity of greater than or equal to 65% with a small number of false positive diagnoses (less than 10%) and provided useful information for therapeutic decisions. The diagnosis of subacute ventricular rupture requires a surgical decision. Twenty-five (76%) of the 33 patients with subacute ventricular rupture survived the surgical procedure and 16 (48.5%) are long-term survivors. Thus, subacute ventricular wall rupture is a relatively frequent complication after acute myocardial infarction that can be accurately diagnosed and successfully treated.

Cardiac free wall rupture in acute myocardial infarction: ameliorative effect of coronary reperfusion

To investigate the pathophysiology of cardiac free wall rupture (cardiac rupture) following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and to clarify whether reperfusion therapy prevents cardiac rupture, 1,329 cases of AMI (conventional therapy group: 807 cases and reperfusion therapy group: 533 cases) were studied retrospectively. The overall incidence of cardiac rupture was 2.3% (2.7% in the conventional therapy group vs. 1.7% in the reperfusion therapy group). Patients with cardiac rupture were divided into two subgroups according to the time interval from the onset of AMI to cardiac rupture (early rupture less than or equal to 72 h and late rupture greater than or equal to 4 days). The indices of initial evolution of AMI was a significant risk of early cardiac rupture. The reperfusion therapy group showed significantly lower incidence of late rupture (0.4 vs. 1.5% in conventional therapy group; p less than 0.05). The incidence of cardiac rupture in the unsuccessful reperfusion therapy group was higher than that of the successful group (5.9% of 118 cases vs. 0.5% of 404 cases; p less than 0.05). It is concluded that the etiology of cardiac rupture following AMI cannot be explained by any single factor. Early rupture depends on the initial evolution of AMI, and early reperfusion and collateral flow prevent the late onset cardiac rupture.

Postinfarction left ventricular free wall rupture: original management and surgical technique

A case of postinfarction left ventricular free wall rupture is successfully treated. Prompt diagnosis was provided by echocardiography and an emergency operation was carried out. Following sternotomy, hemodynamic stabilization was obtained by gradually evacuating blood from the pericardium, while the femoral vessels were cannulated and the extracorporeal circulation was established. An autologous glutaraldehyde stiffened pericardial patch was sealed over the infarcted area using fibrin glue and fixed with a running suture on the surrounding healthy myocardium.

Hemodynamic efficacy of rapid saline infusion and dobutamine versus saline infusion alone in a model of cardiac rupture

Despite recent reports describing survival after cardiac rupture, the effectiveness of circulatory support while awaiting definitive surgical treatment is controversial. To assess the efficacy of volume expansion and pharmacologic support in cardiac tamponade due to cardiac rupture, a model of hemorrhagic cardiac tamponade was developed and treatment with rapid saline infusion and dobutamine was compared with rapid saline infusion alone in 15 closed chest dogs. A right ventricular wound of reproducible size was produced by deflating an aortic valvuloplasty balloon that had previously been passed by way of the internal jugular vein into the pericardial space and through a stab wound in the right ventricular free wall. Hemodynamic values were compared at baseline, during tamponade and after a rapid infusion (1 liter at 100 ml/min) of either saline solution alone or saline solution plus dobutamine (20 micrograms/kg per min). Atrial and pericardial pressures increased significantly in both groups. Mean arterial pressure, cardiac output and stroke volume increased with combined saline and dobutamine infusion to values similar to those at baseline (91 +/- 19%, 114 +/- 43% and 94 +/- 37% of baseline, respectively). In contrast, saline infusion alone caused a small increase in cardiac output but failed to significantly increase mean arterial pressure or stroke volume (76.8 +/- 14.2%, 55 +/- 18% and 51 +/- 17% of baseline, respectively). Combined rapid infusion of saline solution and dobutamine infusion has a more beneficial hemodynamic effect and may be more effective than rapid saline infusion alone in resuscitating patients with hemorrhagic cardiac tamponade due to cardiac rupture.

Myocardial infarction with normal coronary arteries complicated by rupture of the left ventricular free wall

We report the case of a 73-year-old woman successfully treated for a subacute rupture of the ventricular free wall which occurred on the fourth day after a postero-lateral myocardial infarction. Angiography performed prior to surgical repair revealed the presence of normal coronary arteries. The pathogenetic mechanism of such a happening remains uncertain, but the role of abrupt recanalization must be considered.

Myocardial rupture in expanded infarcts: repair using pericardial patch

Myocardial rupture is found in approximately 20% of fatal infarctions, but the diagnosis is rarely made before death. Rupture occurs in "expanding" transmural infarctions. The diagnosis should be considered in any patient who develops recurrent chest pain and cardiovascular instability within the first week after infarction. Echocardiographic evidence of a dilated infarct with pericardial effusion is confirmatory. Three cases are described, and previous reports are reviewed. Because most patients have multivessel disease, we recommend pericardiocentesis and rapid cardiac catheterization. Infarctectomy may be appropriate when the edges of the lesion are obvious, but the more typical diffuse, serpiginous defects should be closed with dacron-bolstered sutures covered with a wide autologous pericardial patch. Myocardial rupture is a treatable condition, and a high index of suspicion is necessary in order to recognize it more frequently.

Sutureless repair of postinfarction cardiac rupture

A 62-year-old female with a history of progressive angina experienced an acute myocardial infarction. Seven days later, cardiac rupture ensued. She underwent surgical repair without the aid of extracorporeal circulation. A Teflon patch was glued over the myocardial tear with medical adhesive. She recovered and is leading a normal life, 15 months after surgery.

Rupture of the left ventricular free wall during acute myocardial infarction: analysis of 138 necropsy patients and comparison with 50 necropsy patients with acute myocardial infarction without rupture

Clinical and necropsy findings in 138 patients (69 men and 69 women) with rupture of the left ventricular (LV) free wall during acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (rupture group) were compared with 50 patients who died during their first AMI without rupture (nonrupture group). The frequency of systemic hypertension (55 vs 52%), angina pectoris (13 vs 22%) and congestive heart failure (0 vs 0%) before the fatal AMI was similar for both rupture and nonrupture groups. Mean heart weights for men (479 vs 526 g) and women (399 vs 432 g) with and without rupture also were insignificantly different. LV scar before the infarct that ruptured was present in 18 patients (13%); previous necropsy studies of fatal AMI without rupture have indicated that 50% have LV scars. The rupture group had a significantly more frequent (p less than 0.01) lateral wall location of the infarct (12 vs 2%). The number of 3 major (right, left anterior descending and left circumflex) epicardial coronary arteries narrowed at some point greater than 75% in cross-sectional area by atherosclerotic plaque was significantly lower (p less than 0.01) in the rupture group (39 vs 58%). The percent of these 3 arteries totally occluded or nearly so (greater than 95% in cross-sectional area) by plaque also was significantly less (p less than 0.001) in the rupture group (24 of 198 arteries [12%] vs 38 of 144 arteries [26%]). Analysis of each 5-mm long segment of these arteries in each group disclosed that the rupture group had significantly less narrowing than the nonrupture group. Of the 3,287 five-mm segments of artery examined in the rupture group (66 patients), 512 (15%) were narrowed greater than 75% in cross-sectional area by plaque; in contrast, of the 1,848 five-mm segments in the nonrupture group (38 patients), 508 (28%) were narrowed to this degree by plaque (p less than 0.0001). Thus, rupture of the LV free wall primarily is a complication of the first AMI and is associated with considerably less amounts of coronary narrowing than fatal AMI without rupture.

Cardiac rupture in patients with acute myocardial infarction

The occurrence of myocardial rupture was evaluated in an unselected population of 1,737 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Patients with cardiac rupture after AMI were compared with age- and sex-matched control patients with fatal AMI not related to rupture and with AMI survivors discharged home. Rupture was found in 40 patients (15.7 percent of hospital deaths), or 2.3 percent of all cases of AMI. At the highest risk for rupture were women aged 60 to 69, although the age distribution did not differ significantly from that of patients dying of other causes. More patients with myocardial rupture had hypertension during hospitalization, persistent pain, and inferior wall myocardial infarction when compared with controls. The majority (95 percent) of cardiac ruptures occurred within the first six days, 40 percent within the first 24 hours after the onset of symptoms. Approximately 20 percent of ruptures were diagnosed as subacute; in only two was surgical intervention attempted unsuccessfully. The high-risk group of patients should be carefully monitored within the first six days after the onset of symptoms of AMI in an effort to prevent myocardial rupture.

Hemodynamic effect of dextran, dobutamine, and pericardiocentesis in cardiac tamponade secondary to subacute heart rupture

Seventeen patients with acute myocardial infarction and tamponade after subacute ventricular free-wall rupture were treated with dextran, dobutamine, and pericardiocentesis before definitive surgical repair. In all of the patients the diagnosis was confirmed anatomically. Dextran (200 to 900 ml), administered to 10 patients, induced a significant increase in systolic blood pressure, cardiac index, stroke index, right atrial pressure, and pulmonary capillary pressure. Dobutamine (500 micrograms/min for 20 to 40 minutes), was infused in 16 patients and induced a significant increase in systolic blood pressure, cardiac index, stroke index, and heart rate. Pericardiocentesis, with extraction of 150 to 500 ml, was performed in five patients. It produced a significant increase in systolic blood pressure, cardiac index, and stroke index and a significant decrease in right atrial pressure and heart rate. The best results were obtained after pericardiocentesis. However, it must not be performed in every case because of its potential risk. Dextran and dobutamine may be sufficient in many cases to support these patients before surgery.

Extracardiac left to right shunt in a patient with biventricular postinfarction rupture and pseudoaneurysm

A 68 year old man had a diaphragmatic myocardial infarction and 9 months later was admitted with severe congestive heart failure (functional class IV). Cardiac catheterization demonstrated a postinfarction pseudoaneurysm. Because of a massive left to right shunt (pulmonary to systemic flow ratio = 2.7), concomitant rupture of the ventricular septum was suspected. At surgery the pseudoaneurysm communicated with the right ventricle through two different orifices and with the left ventricle through another ostium. The ventricular septum was intact. Therefore, the shunt was extracardiac through the pseudoaneurysm (left ventricle----pseudoaneurysm----right ventricle). The unique combination of lesions allowed the patient to survive. The false aneurysm was excised and primary repair was performed in the orifices of the right and left ventricular walls. The postoperative course was uneventful and 10 months later the patient was in functional class I.

Delayed left ventricular free wall rupture complicating coronary artery bypass surgery. A case report

Rupture of the left ventricular free wall is a not uncommon life-threatening complication of acute myocardial infarction and after prosthetic mitral valve replacement. To our knowledge, no case of left ventricular rupture after coronary artery bypass surgery has been reported. A case is now described in which coronary artery bypass grafting was complicated by delayed rupture, which was successfully repaired. Different etiologic factors are discussed, but the cause considered most likely was trauma from elevation of and traction on the heart in exposure of its posterior aspect.

Subacute left ventricular free wall rupture following acute myocardial infarction: bedside hemodynamics, differential diagnosis, and treatment

Six patients with subacute left ventricular free wall rupture (anatomically proved) following acute myocardial infarction are presented. Diagnosis of cardiac rupture in every case was suspected several hours before death or surgical intervention, when clinical and hemodynamic data of cardiac tamponade were found. In three patients right atrial pressure decreased with inspiration and in the other three cases it did not show any modification. These latter three patients had associated right ventricular infarction; the abnormal respiratory behavior could be explained by restriction produced by a noncompliant right ventricle. All six patients improved initially with medical treatment (inotropics and fluid infusion) and three of them were operated upon. One of the latter patients died on the eighteenth postoperative day of extracardiac causes and two are long-term survivors.

Diagnosis and treatment of subacute free wall ventricular rupture after infarction

Ventricular rupture is usually a sudden, lethal complication after acute myocardial infarction (MI). Some patients, however, may survive several hours after ventricular rupture, and there is time for surgical repair if the diagnosis is made quickly. In 1980 and 1981, 7 patients underwent operation for ventricular rupture at our institution. Bedside hemodynamic studies with a Swan-Ganz catheter confirmed the diagnosis of pericardial tamponade. Urgent operation with cardiopulmonary bypass was performed. Control of hemorrhage was obtained by covering the ventricular tear and the surrounding infarcted myocardium with a wide Teflon patch. Four patients are alive and well 2, 3, 4, and 10 months after operation. Clinically, free wall ventricular rupture should be suspected when any patient recovering from an acute MI experiences chest pain and cardiovascular collapse. Bedside hemodynamic monitoring will confirm the diagnosis of cardiac tamponade, and urgent operation will save some of these patients.

Myocardial rupture after myocardial infarction. Detection by multi-gated image-acquisition scintigraphy

Myocardial rupture following infarction usually is an acute and dramatic event. Rarely, it may take a subacute course, allowing surgical treatment. We report herein a case of subacute rupture of the heart in a 54 year old patient with acute myocardial infarction. The rupture was diagnosed by the appearance of a radiopaque halo around the heart during radionuclide ventriculography. The patient subsequently underwent surgical resection of a large anterolateral aneurysm and a 2 inch long rupture of the myocardium and survived. Clinical suspicion, prompt diagnosis, and surgical intervention are important in the management of this relatively unusual complication of infarction.

Myocardial free-wall rupture after acute infarction: survival aided by percutaneous intraaortic balloon counterpulsation

After his first acute myocardial infarction, a 69-year-old male suffered the usually lethal complication of ventricular free-wall rupture. Early suspicion of possible rupture and immediate percutaneous insertion of an intraaortic balloon pump assist device afforded sufficient hemodynamic stability to proceed with cardiac catheterization. The diagnosis of ventricular free-wall rupture was confirmed and the extent of coronary artery disease defined. The patient underwent repair of the free-wall rupture and coronary artery bypass grafting and has returned to full activity.

Survival after subacute cardiac rupture

A 43-year-old man collapsed suddenly, with pericardial tamponade, seven weeks after an inferior myocardial infarction. Pericardiocentesis disclosed very heavily blood stained fluid. Left ventricular angiography 10 days later showed a left ventricular aneurysm. At operation a left ventricular false aneurysm was resected and the patient recovered uneventfully.