The differential diagnosis of STEMI should also be taken into account

Strategies to mitigate delay in door-to-balloon(DTB) time [1] should take into account the fact that the differential diagnosis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI) includes pulmonary embolism(PE), PE-related paradoxical coronary embolism [2], dissecting aneurysm of the aorta(DAA) [3], and spontaneous tension pneumothorax, the latter either co-existing with STEMI [4], or being the sole and reversible cause of ST segment elevation. Accordingly, the “quickly screening method for high-risk Type 1 MI patients” [1] should include point-of-care TTE and ultrasound to optimise identification of the 4 STEMI-like subtypes [2–4].
Source: International Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research