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Hearts of stone: Rapidly progressive left ventricular myocardial calcifications in severe sepsis: Case series
Lea Tiffany1, Lincoln J Lim1,2
1Department of Medical Imaging, Western Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
Rapidly progressive left ventricular myocardial calcification (RPLVMC) is a rare sepsis complication. This case series highlights two patients without risk factors, emphasizing early detection and future prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Radiology
Background:
- Rapidly progressive left ventricular myocardial calcification (RPLVMC) is a rare complication of severe sepsis.
- It is associated with severe outcomes like irreversible cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias.
- Only 19 cases have been reported, with limited understanding of its occurrence in patients without pre-existing risk factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a case series of two patients with RPLVMC.
- To describe the rapid onset of RPLVMC in severe sepsis.
- To highlight the absence of typical risk factors in these patients.
Main Methods:
- Case series of two patients diagnosed with RPLVMC.
- Review of clinical presentation, diagnostic imaging (chest x-ray, CT), and outcomes.
- Analysis of patient history for pre-existing risk factors.
Main Results:
- Two patients developed RPLVMC within days during severe sepsis.
- Neither patient had pre-existing risk factors like kidney disease or endocrine dysfunction.
- RPLVMC was identified through routine medical imaging.
Conclusions:
- RPLVMC can occur rapidly in severe sepsis, even without traditional risk factors.
- Increased awareness is needed for opportunistic detection on routine imaging.
- Further research is warranted for prevention strategies.
Abstract:
Rapidly progressive left ventricular myocardial calcification (RPLVMC) is a rare phenomenon of severe sepsis which is associated with long-term complications like irreversible cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias. To date, only 19 cases have been reported in literature. We present a case series of two patients with RPLVMC which manifested within a period of days in the setting of severe sepsis. Unique to previous case reports, the patients in the current case series had no pre-existing systemic risk factors such as end-stage kidney disease or endocrinological dysfunction. This case series aims to increase awareness of RPLVMC in severe sepsis, improve its opportunistic detection on routine medical imaging (namely chest x-ray and computed tomography), and spur future research to develop potential prevention strategies.
