Acute myocardial infarction due to vasospasm in a 13-year-old-boy

We describe an unusual case of acute myocardial infarction due to vasospasm in a 13-year-old boy. He was admitted to our hospital with severe congestive heart failure and shock. He had experienced a feeling of chest oppression with dyspnea while running, which grew worse. He then lost consciousness and was brought by ambulance to our intensive care unit. He had had similar but milder episodes of chest oppression months earlier. The family history revealed that his father had died suddenly from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and that his grandmother also had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. On admission, the patient was bathed in a cold sweat, his pulse was weak, and his blood pressure was too low to measure. Coarse crackling and wheezing were audible in both lung fields. Administration of catecholamine and intra-aortic balloon pumping failed to stabilize the hemodynamic variables, but percutaneous cardiopulmonary support proved to be lifesaving. Coronary arteriography performed during his convalescence showed on evidence of atherosclerosis. The acetylcholine provocation test ultimately revealed a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction due to vasospasm.