Hunter Benton R, Caton Trace
Department of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.
J Emerg Med. 2013 Dec;45(6):e201-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2013.04.032. Epub 2013 Aug 9.
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) can occur in infants. Early identification of AMI can allow for specific therapies aimed at improving patient outcomes.
This article describes a case of an infant with AMI caused by a previously unreported mechanism and reviews diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for dealing with this rare disease.
We present a case of a 5-week-old infant with a fatal AMI due to a pedunculated nodule from a dysplastic aortic valve leaflet creating a ball-in-valve mechanism and occluding the left main coronary artery.
AMI is an important diagnostic consideration in any infant presenting with signs of unexplained cardiogenic shock. Practitioners who care for children should be aware of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for AMI in infants.
