Noncompaction and embolic myocardial infarction: the importance of oral anticoagulation

Abstract

Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is characterized by left ventricular (LV) hypertrabeculations and is associated with heart failure, arrhythmias and embolism. We report the case of a 67-year-old LVNC patient, under oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy for apical thrombosis. After she discontinued OAC, the thrombus involved almost the whole of the left ventricle; in a few months her condition worsened, requiring hospitalization, and despite heparin infusion she experienced myocardial infarction (MI), caused by embolic occlusion of the left anterior descending artery. Although infrequent as a complication of LVNC, and usually attributable to microvascular dysfunction, in this case MI seems due to coronary thromboembolism from dislodged thrombotic material in the left ventricle.

Keywords: Embolia; Embolism; Enfarte do miocárdio; Heart failure; Insuficiência cardíaca; Left ventricular noncompaction; Myocardial infarction; Não compactação ventricular esquerda.