Blunt traumatic right coronary artery dissection presenting with second-degree atrioventricular block and late-onset severe cardiogenic shock

Abstract

Background

Blunt chest injury may induce several cardiovascular traumata, requiring immediate care. Right coronary artery dissection (RCA) is an extremely rare sequela in this setting and is associated with high mortality, if it remains undiagnosed.

Case presentation

We present the case of an RCA dissection after blunt chest trauma in a 16-year-old patient, who initially presented with a second-degree atrioventricular block as solitary manifestation on admission. Typical electrocardiographic findings, such as ST segmental changes or pathological Q waves were absent. Serial echocardiograms excluded segmental motion abnormalities, pericardial effusion or right ventricular strain. Nevertheless, a complementary computed tomography coronary angiography revealed this potentially lethal condition several hours later. The patient underwent an emergency surgical myocardial revascularization under the circulatory support of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and suffered a prolonged right ventricular insufficiency with severe late-onset cardiogenic shock, due to an extensive myocardial infarction of the inferoseptal ventricular wall.

Conclusion

Right coronary artery dissection after high-speed blunt chest injury constitutes a diagnostic challenge, especially in the absence of typical electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings in young patients. This condition may dramatically deteriorate in time, leading to severe cardiogenic shock and life-threatening arrhythmias.