Patient: Female, 80Final Diagnosis: Aortoesophageal fistulaSymptoms: HematemesisMedication: —Clinical Procedure: Thoracic endovascular aortic repairSpecialty: General and Internal MedicineObjective:Rare diseaseBackground:Hemetemesis is rarely caused by an aorta-esophageal fistula with thoracic aorta aneurysm in patients. This uncommon etiology, AEF/TAA, can potentially rupture and cause death if left untreated. Thoracic endovascular aorta repair places a stent-graft to seal the aneurysm and cover the fistulous track. Open surgical repair is associated with high risk of morbidity and mortality; therefore, TEVAR is a much safer alternative to it. However, recurrent or persistent infection remains a major concern with TEVAR for AEF.Case Report:We present a rare case of an 80-year-old woman who presented with complaints of hemetemesis and epigastric pain. The patient underwent a computerized tomography scan, highlighting a TAA and AEF. A stent was placed in the descending thoracic aorta via endovascular approach and a subsequent EGD was negative for any residual bleeding. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from the patient’s sputum cultures and she was treated with a prolonged course of antibiotics. She presented to the hospital a few weeks later with new-onset hematemesis. Workup identified an AEF. The patient was high risk for open surgical repair due to her comorbid conditions; therefore, an esophageal stent was placed. She was diagnosed with AEF secondary to an infected endovascular thoracic aorta stent.Conclusions:Patients who are high risk for open surgical repair from immediate rupture of TAA with AEF can benefit from use of the TEVAR approach. The stent itself is a foreign body; therefore, the risk of infection persists. AEF is a rare but potentially fatal complication of the infected thoracic aortic stent itself.
Primary cardiac tumors are extremely rare. In one study, incidence was reported being less than 0.1%. The purpose of this case report is to review different presentations of cardiac myxoma. A 34-year-old female with past medical history of drug abuse was brought into the emergency department (ED) after a motor vehicle collision. She was found to have multiple fractures with a hypodense mass in the left atrium. Further evaluation showed a left atrial myxoma. The patient underwent myxoma resection. The clinical appearance of myxoma varies from non-specific to life-threatening complications, such as stroke, acute heart failure, or even sudden death.A surgical resection is the treatment of choice for cardiac myxomas.
Left ventricular outflow tract pseudoaneurysm is an uncommon complication following aortic valve replacement (AVR), occurring most frequently secondary to endocarditis. We present a case of a 47-year-old female with a history of intravenous drug abuse and a past surgical history of two AVRs (2001 and 2009 with aortic root replacement for endocarditis) who presented with symptoms of lower extremity weakness. Subsequent radiologic imaging revealed the presence of a left ventricular outflow tract pseudoaneurysm, which was surgically managed with a homologous conduit.
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