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Three patients with signs of acute flail mitral leaflet seen on emergency department echo: a critical constellation within the focused cardiac exam
Author(s) -
Bomann J Scott,
Stephenson George,
Wallace Craig,
Mao Pras,
Moore Chris
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
australasian journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2205-0140
pISSN - 1836-6864
DOI - 10.1002/j.2205-0140.2014.tb00110.x
Subject(s) - medicine , cardiogenic shock , emergency department , cardiology , vital signs , chest pain , radiology , myocardial infarction , psychiatry
Acute flail mitral leaflet is a time‐sensitive, reversible cause of cardiogenic shock. Transthoracic echocardiography (echo) is increasingly becoming a vital tool for non‐cardiologist physicians who treat patients with undifferentiated chest pain and dyspnoea. The sonographic abnormalities seen in acute flail mitral leaflet are within the boundaries of a focused echo. Individually, these findings are non‐specific. As a constellation, however, they are highly suggestive of this disease process. We present a case series of three patients with acute flail mitral leaflet seen on emergency department echo along with a discussion of the findings and the disease itself.