Surgical strategy for left ventricular free wall rupture after acute myocardial infarction

Background. Left ventricular free wall rupture is usually fatal without surgical intervention. However, the most appropriate surgical procedure remains controversial. Methods. Seventeen patients (14 men, 3 women) who developed left ventricular free wall rupture after acute myocardial infarction were treated surgically. Their mean age was 65.4 years (range, 55 to 79 years). The following surgical procedures were performed: infarctectomy and patch reconstruction in 1 patient, direct closure with or without patch covering in 4 patients, simple patch covering anchored by running suture in 4 patients, and a sutureless technique in 7 patients. Endventricular patch closure was performed in 1 patient with ventricular septal perforation. Results. One of 3 patients with a blow-out type rupture and 1 of 13 patients with an oozing type rupture died shortly after operation. The overall surgical mortality rate was 11.8%. Conclusions. Selection of the optimal procedure for each cardiac condition is important for obtaining good results. For patients with ongoing squirting bleeding, patch covering is the technique of choice. For oozing, the sutureless technique is preferable. (Ann Thorac Surg 2001;71:201-4) (C) 2001 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.