Delayed Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction With Ventricular Septal Rupture Due to Patient Fear During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Chhetry, Minar; Bhatt, Reema; Tehrani, Nathan H; Avgerinos, Dimitrios V; Mack, Charles A; Lang, Samuel J; Dai, Xuming

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandmic, more patients are presenting with complications late after acute myocardial infarction. We report the case of a 71-year-old man who delayed seeking medical care for 2 weeks, despite progressive shortness of breath, cough, and tactile fever, for fear of contracting COVID-19 in the hospital. Clinical and echocardiographic evaluation revealed a ventricular septal rupture secondary to acute myocardial infarction. The patient underwent urgent cardiac catheterization, followed by successful saphenous vein grafting to the left anterior descending coronary artery and open surgical repair of the ventricular septal rupture with a bovine pericardial patch. This case highlights a potential long-lasting negative effect that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the care-seeking behavior and health of patients with acute cardiovascular disease.