Free left ventricular wall rupter in a newborn

Abstract

Free left ventricular wall rupture is very rare but mostly fatal complication of acute myocardial infarction in the elderly. Without the presence of congenital heart disease, preceding cardiac surgery or an isolated ventricular diverticulum, spontaneous rupture of the free left ventricular wall in neonates has not been described to date. We present a newborn baby who was brought to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the University Children’s Hospital in Bern, Switzerland in hemodynamic shock. Clinical assessment revealed bi-ocular cataract and a severe form of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, both highly suspicious findings for an underlying mitochondrial myopathy. The newborn underwent extensive metabolic and genetic screening and was discharged from the PICU to the regular ward.