Rapidly progressive myocardial calcification following sepsis

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Radiology

Background:

• Sepsis, a dysregulated host response to infection, frequently causes cardiovascular abnormalities and myocardial injury.
• Myocardial calcification is a rare but serious complication of sepsis, often associated with severe cases.

Observation:

• A 67-year-old man with severe sepsis developed progressive left ventricular myocardial attenuation on serial CT scans.
• This progression led to extensive myocardial calcification within six weeks of sepsis onset.

Findings:

• Sepsis-related myocardial calcification is typically observed in patients with severe sepsis, hemodynamic failure, acute kidney injury, and ARDS.
• This calcification is classified as dystrophic, resulting from tissue damage and necrosis.

Implications:

• Sepsis-induced myocardial calcification may precede irreversible cardiomyopathy or induce life-threatening arrhythmias.
• Survivors of severe sepsis require vigilant monitoring for this complication using imaging modalities like CT.