Successful outcome of a left ventricular free wall rupture in a community hospital: case report

Rupture of the myocardium in the setting of acute myocardial infarction has a universally grim prognosis. The time that elapses between diagnosis and definitive therapy is the most critical determinant of the patient's outcome when death is not instantaneous. Survivors of this catastrophic event have not been frequently reported. We present a case of free wall left ventricular rupture in a patient with an acute myocardial infarction hospitalized in the Cardiac Care Unit of a small community hospital. The patient was successfully transferred to the referral institution for surgery. Rapid diagnosis, primary bedside therapy, and utilization of new surgical techniques helped obtain a good outcome.