Complications of Myocardial Infarction:
The first step in the management of the patient with an acute myocardial infarction is prompt recognition, since the beneficial effects of therapy with re-perfusion are greatest when performed soon after presentation. For patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain suspicious for an acute coronary syndrome, the diagnosis of STEMI can be confirmed by the electrocardiogram. Biomarkers may be normal early.
Mechanical complications of Myocardial Infarction:
Complications may occur immediately following the heart attack (in the acute phase), or may need time to develop (a chronic problem).
There are three major mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction (MI):
– Rupture of the left ventricular free wall, which can lead to cardiac tamponade,
– Rupture of the interventricular septum, which can lead to VSD,
– The development of mitral regurgitation,
– Ventricular Aneurysm due to dysfunctional myocardium, which can lead to embolus formation,
– Heart failure also due to dysfunctional myocardium
Pericardial complications of myocardial infarction:
Three major types of pericardial complications can occur in patients following a myocardial infarction:
– Early infarct-associated pericarditis (often termed peri-infarction pericarditis)
– Pericardial effusion (with or without tamponade)
– Postcardiac injury (Dressler’s) syndrome
Conduction abnormalities after myocardial infarction:
Bradyarrhythmias and conduction disturbances are well-recognized complications of acute myocardial infarction (MI). They are induced by either autonomic imbalance or ischemia and necrosis of the conduction system. It is important to recognize which bradyarrhythmias are transient and which are likely to progress to irreversible and symptomatic high-degree block. Some of the conduction abnormalities include:
– Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB)
– Right Bundle Branch Block (RBBB)
– Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
– Ventricular arrhythmias
– First degree AV block
– Second and third degree atrioventricular (AV) block
[expand title=”References for Complications of Myocardial Infarction Mnemonic:”]
–http://www.uptodate.com/contents/mechanical-complications-of-acute-myocardial-infarction?source=see_link
–http://www.uptodate.com/contents/pericardial-complications-of-myocardial-infarction?source=search_result&search=myocardial+infarction+complications&selectedTitle=2~150
–http://www.uptodate.com/contents/conduction-abnormalities-after-myocardial-infarction?source=search_result&search=myocardial+infarction+complications&selectedTitle=3~150
–http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/cardiology/complications-of-acute-myocardial-infarction/
–https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myocardial_infarction#Complications
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