J Korean Soc Emerg Med.
2011 Dec;22(6):760-763.
A Case of a Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicated by a Snake Bite
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea. emkwlee@cu.ac.kr
Abstract
- We experienced a rare case of acute myocardial infarction associated with a coagulopathy-complicating snake bite. A previously healthy 72-year-old Korean woman was bitten on the right thumb by a snake of unknown species. She was admitted to a local medical center for one day and exhibited painful progressive swelling along the entire right arm. She also complained of chest discomfort. She had an ST-elevation and T wave-inversion on an ECG. She was then transferred to our emergency department. We found a regional wall motion abnormality on echocardiography, and elevated cardiac enzymes in a laboratory test. We also observed coagulopathy and a thrombus in the left ventricle on follow-up echocardiography. An acute myocardial infarction was confirmed by percutaneous coronary angiography, which showed the total occlusion and stenosis of several coronary arteries.