A life-saving case of Dressler’s syndrome

Myocardial rupture is an uncommon and life threatening event which may occur in the setting of acute myocardial infarction. In this case report we describe a rare instance of a patient presenting with signs of ventricular rupture as a late presentation of myocardial infarction. The findings of cardiac computed tomography are demonstrated as well as intra-operative images. Despite its very high attendant mortality risk, our patient’s life was saved by the earlier development of Dressler’s syndrome, an intense inflammatory process in the pericardium, resulting in dense adhesions, which effectively tamponaded the leak from the ventricular free wall rupture and prevented extravasation.