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Published on: May 22, 2020
[Acute anterior myocardial infarction after rituximab]
History:
A 36-year-old man with a history of PR3-ANCA positive granulomatosis with polyangiitis presented with chest pain at the emergency department. Due to his underlying disease, he was treated with Rituximab in regular intervals. The last Rituximab infusion was admitted one day before presentation.
Investigation:
The ECG showed marked ST elevation in V1-V4.
Diagnosis, Treatment And Course:
After the diagnosis of an acute anterior myocardial infarction, the patient was prepared for acute percutaneous coronary intervention. During transport to the cardiac catheterization laboratory, he suffered a cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation. After successful resuscitation, the cardiac catheterization showed no evidence of relevant coronary stenosis. Because of suspected coronary spasm of left anterior descending artery the therapy was extended with a calcium channel blocker. A single chamber cardiac defibrillator was implanted for secondary prevention.
Conclusion:
Acute coronary syndrome is a possible side effect of rituximab therapy. The reported case emphasizes a correlation between Rituximab therapy and cardiac event.
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