Paradoxical Embolism in a Patient with Aortic Valve Endocarditis: A Case Report.

This report describes a case of aortic valve endocarditis with systemic and paradoxical pulmonary embolism in a patient with congenital interventricular communication. The patient underwent cardiac surgery and did not have a favorable outcome, presenting refractory cardiogenic shock and subsequently dying while in the hospital. This is an extremely rare case of paradoxical embolism in a patient with infective endocarditis; only four similar cases have been reported in the literature.

Myocardial Infarction in a Young Cocaine User with Atrial Myxoma: What is the Central Cause?

The differential diagnosis of myocardial infarction in patients with a number of potential causes can be challenging, especially when there is no angiographic evidence of coronary obstruction. We describe a case of extensive anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction in a young male smoker who had a left atrial myxoma and a history of cocaine use 10 hours before the event. Clinical reasoning during a myocardial infarction investigation should be oriented by the probability of the causal relationship between the ischemic event and each factor present in the clinical context.