Acute myocardial infarction with ventricular septal rupture

The interventricular septum is one of the three main sites at which the myocardium can rupture. The features of the interventricular septal rupture that occurred in a 72-year-old woman are characteristic of interventricular septal ruptures in general: (1) they occur most commonly in elderly women; (2) the most common site is the mid-portion of an acute, transmural anteroseptal apical infarct; (3) they are also most common during the patient's first heart attack; (4) the clinical diagnosis of acute myocardial infarct is confirmed by both ECG and by serum enzyme levels; (5) the usual time of the rupture is 3-10 days after the onset of the infarction (it occurred after 3 days in our patient); (6) a new cardiac murmur usually is heard and the patient frequently goes into shock; (7) the diagnosis can be confirmed by a step-up in pO2 levels from right atrium to right ventricle; (8) the usual cause is severe old coronary atherosclerosis with a recent thrombotic occlusion as the final precipitating event.