Rupture of the interventricular septum after myocardial infarction (MI) is an uncommon but serious complication, usually leading to congestive heart failure and cardiogenic shock. Surgical repair is usually the only definitive treatment for these patients because medical management is associated with a 30-day mortality approaching 100%. However with conventional surgical repair, operative mortality rates range from 33% to 53%. Furthermore, outcomes in patients with posterior ventricular septal defect (VSD) have been reported to have mortality rates up to 86%. Therefore, alternative treatment should be considered to improve management of this mechanical complication. We report the case of a 63-year-old man in whom VSD developed after an inferior MI. The patient presented with shortness of breath and a recent ST-elevation inferior MI. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a 50% left ventricular ejection fraction with mild-moderate right ventricular dysfunction. A posterior VSD (diameter ≥ 12 mm), moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR), and a posterior pseudoaneurysm were also seen. The operative risk was considered to be too high for VSD repair because the surgery would have to include bypass grafting, mitral valve replacement, and pseudoaneurysm correction. Consequently, an urgent heart transplantation was considered the best option. The patient underwent heart transplantation 9 days after initial symptoms, and the recovery was unremarkable. To achieve a definitive optimal treatment, we propose that patients with posterior VSD with significant MR or pseudoaneurysm, or both, should be considered as heart transplant candidates.
Copyright © 2015 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.