Grossfeld P D, Friedman D B, Levine B D
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine, Dallas 75235.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1993 Aug;25(8):901-3.
A previously asymptomatic physically active 41-yr-old Caucasian male was hit in the chest by a spiked volleyball. Following the impact of the ball he developed substernal chest pain, which persisted during and after the game. Despite the administration of thrombolytic therapy, he suffered an extensive anteroapical myocardial infarction; subsequent cardiac catheterization revealed the presence of a 70% occlusion in his mid left anterior descending coronary artery. We hypothesize that this patient sustained a traumatic coronary artery thrombosis resulting in acute myocardial infarction. The presence of underlying coronary artery disease may predispose an individual to traumatic myocardial infarction.
