No small dilemma: small bowel volvulus mimicking acute coronary syndrome.
Cristian David Armas FlórezSean BademianMikaela Kcomt LamJessica BurgessXian QiaoPublished in: Oxford medical case reports (2024)
Acute abdominal pathologies can cause electrocardiogram (ECG) changes mimicking an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), resulting in diagnostic uncertainty and delay. We report a 65-year-old male with multiple risk factors for ACS who presented with four hours of progressive epigastric and chest pain that resolved in the emergency department. ECG findings were concerning for new deeply inverted T-waves with normal troponins, raising concerns for Wellens Syndrome. Emergent heart catheterization was negative but abdominal computed tomography angiography showed occlusion of the superior mesenteric vessels. Subsequent exploratory laparotomy revealed a small bowel volvulus with extensive necrosis, resulting in a 430 cm resection.
Keyphrases
- acute coronary syndrome
- small bowel
- emergency department
- percutaneous coronary intervention
- antiplatelet therapy
- heart rate variability
- heart rate
- liver failure
- multiple sclerosis
- coronary artery
- respiratory failure
- heart failure
- case report
- single cell
- atrial fibrillation
- ultrasound guided
- aortic dissection
- intensive care unit
- blood pressure
- image quality
- magnetic resonance imaging
- breast reconstruction
- hepatitis b virus
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- coronary artery disease
- perovskite solar cells