Post-traumatic left anterior descending artery dissection.

Publication/Presentation Date

6-1-2020

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Patients who experience trauma, particularly thoracic trauma, may be at risk for missed cardiac injury.

CASE REPORT: We present a case of a 36-year-old male presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) as a trauma after a high-speed motor vehicle crash. After computed tomography (CT) scans revealed a right hemopneumothorax and multiple orthopedic injuries, the patient was admitted to the trauma neuroscience intensive care unit (TNICU), where telemetry revealed ST elevations. An electrocardiogram (EKG) was performed and he was noted to have an acute anterolateral STEMI. The patient was intubated and underwent a cardiac catheterization that revealed a dissection of his left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and a stent was successfully placed. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: In cases of trauma patients who can't report the symptoms they are experiencing, or have distracting injury, there is the potential for a missed diagnosis of either significant cardiac injury and/or myocardial infarction (MI). Emergency physicians should be aware that an EKG is recommended in the ED evaluation of a trauma patient, especially those with thoracic trauma.

Volume

38

Issue

6

First Page

3

Last Page

1299

ISSN

1532-8171

Disciplines

Emergency Medicine | Surgery | Trauma

PubMedID

32139211

Peer Reviewed for front end display

Peer-Reviewed

Department(s)

Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty, Department of Emergency Medicine Residents, Department of Medicine, Cardiology Division, Department of Surgery, Department of Surgery Faculty

Document Type

Article

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