A ripping bike race: spontaneous coronary dissection complicated by cardiac tamponade, unmasking vascular Ehlers-Danlos in a young man

Abstract

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome. Typically, it occurs in young women without atherosclerotic risk factors. Clinical presentation ranges from chest pain to myocardial infarction, ventricular fibrillation and sudden death. We report a very rare case of a young man with ST-elevation myocardial infarction caused by SCAD, complicated by hemopericardium and recurrent cardiac tamponade. Due to this acute complication, he was diagnosed as having vascular Ehlers- Danlos syndrome.

Keywords

• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
• Cardiac tamponade
• Ehler-Danlos syndrome