Cardiac complications after vaccination for smallpox.

A case of severe myocardial damage 8 days after smallpox vaccination is described in a 6-year-old boy. A huge embolus overriding the bifurcation of the aorta complicated the disease and was removed surgically. Attention is called to the rapid recovery of this patient, which may be attributed to the use of massive doses of antivaccinia gamma globulin.