Cardiac rupture. Three operations with two long-term survivals.

The first two long-term survivors treated surgically for cardiac rupture after myocardial infarction have been followed up for one and three years. Acute electromechanical dissociation in a patient previously without serious hemodynamic problems after a myocardial infarction is the cardinal feature, allowing the diagnosis of most salvageable cases. Immediate and, if necessary, continuous pericardicentesis, volume loading, and the administration of inotropic amines may give enough time for surgical intervention in some patients.