The Case of Fulminant Myocarditis

Abstract

Fulminant myocarditis (FM) is a severe form of inflammatory myocardial injury rapidly developing as acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock, or life-threatening disturbances of cardiac rhythm. FM requires intensive treatment including drug therapy, mechanical circulatory support, and in some cases – heart transplantation. Echocardiography can be used as a screening method of diagnostics. Magnetic resonance imaging of the heart often cannot be performed because of hemodynamic instability of a patient, therefore endomyocardial biopsy with histological and immunohistochemical studies as well as molecular-genetic analysis of obtained samples is required for final diagnosis. Prognosis of the disease is determined by histological picture. In most cases, after cessation of acute stage of the inflammatory process, FM has a favorable long-term prognosis. In this article we present a clinical case of FM and review of current literature on diagnosis and treatment of this disease.