[Rupture of the heart in the acute phase of myocardial infarction operated on successfully].

This case of rupture of the left ventricular wall in the acute stage of myocardial infarction, presenting clinically as cardiac tamponnade with no electrical signs of transmural infarction, is reported. After cardiac catheterisation and angiography which confirmed the adiastole, the worsening of the patient's condition necessitated pericardial aspiration which showed the presence of a haemopericardium. This led to surgical exploration and to the repair of a cardiac rupture under cardiopulmonary bypass. The authors recall the incidence of cardiac rupture during myocardial infarction, its poor prognosis, the difficulty of preoperative diagnosis, the anatomical features of the infarct which are theoretically favourable for surgical repair and the rarity of survival after surgery which relies essentially on the availability of medicosurgical facilities for very early surgical intervention.