Lung tumor presenting with acute myocardial infarction and lower extremity arterial embolism.

BACKGROUND

Lung tumor embolization leading to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is rare. Previouscases of lung tumor embolization were reported in the coronary artery. We describe here a case of lung tumor embolization leading to the simultaneous occurrence of AMI and lower extremity arterial embolism.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 64-year-old patient was admitted to the emergency department complaining of chest pain and was diagnosed with AMI.An echocardiography showed a mass in the left atrium that was speculated to be a myxoma. An emergency coronary angiography found no evidence of atherosclerosis. On the second day of admission, the patient was diagnosed with lower extremity arterial embolism. Initially, we speculated that the left atrium myxoma caused an embolism resulting in the AMI and lower extremity arterial embolism.However, a lung tumor was the real cause of both conditions. Unfortunately, the patient abandoned treatment when he learned of his disease and died three days later after being discharged from the hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

Lung tumor embolism is an extremely rare cause of AMI. Even rarer is the case presented here, in which a lung tumor embolism caused AMI and lower extremity arterial embolism. Clinicians should recognize lung tumor embolism as a potential cause of AMI.