Sudden blowout rupture of the myocardium after infarction: urgent management. Report of four cases

Blowout rupture of the myocardium is intended to describe a syndrome of sudden hemodynamic deterioration after myocardial infarction. Characterized by abrupt hypotension, cardiac tamponade, or electromechanical dissociation, it is an emergency of the first order with no time for cardiac catheterization. Frequently one must make the diagnosis and race for the operating room almost simultaneously. We have managed four such patients, one with a ruptured false aneurysm and three patients with acute rupture of recently infarcted myocardium. All patients were placed on femoro-femoral bypass initially and all survived operation. Two patients died in the hospital of irreversible brain damage and two are long-term survivors. A high index of suspicion, a well-coordinated operating team, and a willingness to take the bold step to the operating room, frequently on the basis of clinical judgment alone, are necessary to salvage patients with this syndrome.