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When the heart is torn apart: Dual rupture after acute myocardial infarction

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Post-infarction mechanical complications, including ventricular septal rupture and right ventricular free-wall rupture, are rare but fatal. Early recognition is critical to improve outcomes. A 95-year-old man with pulmonary fibrosis experienced chest pain three days before hospitalization. On admission, he had inferior STEMI with second-degree atrioventricular block, outside the reperfusion window. The next day, he developed recurrent chest pain and hemodynamic shock. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a muscular inferno-septal ventricular septal rupture (VSR) combined with right ventricular free-wall rupture (RVFWR). The coexistence of VSR and RVFWR is exceedingly rare and carries high mortality, highlighting the importance of early multimodality imaging and prompt diagnosis.

Source: Radiology Case Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.radcr.2026.06.084

Authors: Soukaina Cherkaoui, Mohamed Sarsari, Houda Bachri, Jamila Zarzur, Mohamed Cherti

Institution: Centre Hospitalier Ibn Sina

Language: English

Topic: Cardiac Structural Anomalies and Repair

Subfield: Surgery

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $600