Myocardial Infarction Due to Coronary Artery Embolism in a Patient with a Mechanical Mitral Valve: A Case Report

Background: Mechanical valves are inherently thrombogenic and require meticulous anticoagulation. Thrombosis of cardiac valve prostheses is a dangerous complication, that practitioners should clearly explain to their patients the potential risks of stopping treatment.

Case Presentation: A 48-year-old female patient without any cardiovascular risk factor with a history of mechanical prosthesis for rhumatic mitral stenosis, who stopped anticoagulant treatment for dental extraction, admitted for Ischemic cerebral vascular accident complicated during her hospitalization by supraventricular tachycardia with a coronary embolism leading to an ST segment elevation due to an non obstructive thrombus causing embolic acute myocardial infarction.

Conclusions: Education regarding an adequate anticoagulation in these patients is important. Clinicians should keep in mind the importance of providing to their patients all the informations concerning the potential risks of stopping their treatment.