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Myocardial Rupture following Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Gabija Dragelytė1, Jūris Plenta2, Sigitas Chmieliauskas2
1Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Centre of Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Siltnamiu Street 29, LT-04130 Vilnius, Lithuania.
Abstract:
We present the first case of severe cardiotoxicity of carbon monoxide leading to myocardial rupture and fatal outcome. 83-year-old woman was hospitalized 4 hours after the fire in her house with no respiratory or cardiac symptoms. After two days, she has suffered sudden collapse leading to cardiac arrest. Postmortem examination revealed intramural haemorrhage with myocardial rupture at the apex of the left ventricle. Minimal stenosis was noted in the proximal coronary arteries with no evidence of distal occlusion or any other long-standing heart disease. This case supports recommendations for targeted cardiovascular investigations in cases of CO poisoning.