Rapidly Progressing Fatal Left Ventricular Pseudoaneurysm After Acute Myocardial Infarction - A Case Report of Delayed Diagnosis

Abstract

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LVPA) is a rare complication of acute myocardial infarction (MI). As pseudoaneurysm is contained by the pericardium alone without involvement of myocardial tissue, LVPA are more prone to rupture and hence necessitates surgical intervention. We report a case of a 60-year-old man with acute MI due to a three-way occlusion in the coronary arteries. An emergency transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) on the 11th day after the MI showed a small ventricular aneurysm, which was probably a late complication of the acute MI episode. A repeat TTE on the 26th day of the MI episode revealed a rapidly progressing LVPA. Emergency heart surgery was planned, but the patient died due to LVPA rupture. This case illustrates timely diagnosis and corrective surgery are key to saving patients from fatal LVPAs