National Journal of Emergency Medicine SEMI

Register      Login

VOLUME 1 , ISSUE 3 ( September-December, 2023 ) > List of Articles

CASE REPORT

Acute Pancreatitis Masquerading as ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)

Moin Pandith, Kushagra Mathur, Shafat Kenu

Keywords : Acute chest pain, Acute MI, Acute pancreatitis, Case report, Chest pain, STEMI

Citation Information : Pandith M, Mathur K, Kenu S. Acute Pancreatitis Masquerading as ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Nat J Emerg Med 2023; 1 (3):77-79.

DOI: 10.5005/njem-11015-0019

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 25-01-2024

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2023; The Author(s).


Abstract

Introduction: Various non-cardiac conditions had been known to mimic electrocardiographic changes seen in acute myocardial Ischaemia or infarction. However, the electrocardiographic changes mimicking ST-elevation myocardial ischaemia (STEMI) in acute pancreatitis (AP) have been occasionally reported and is rare. Case description: A 63-year-old male with no comorbidities or past medical illness presented to the emergency department (ED) with complaints of sudden onset of severe epigastric and retrosternal chest pain. In the ED, vitals were stable. ECG revealed ST-elevation in leads II, III, and aVF consistent with acute inferior wall MI. Bedside 2D electrocardiography was unremarkable. A point of care troponin-T test was done which came out to be negative. Laboratory workup revealed high levels of serum amylase (353 U/L) and serum lipase (1681 U/L) consistent with AP. Further, abdominal CT scan was done which confirmed changes consistent with acute inflammatory non-necrotising pancreatitis, thus confirming the diagnosis. Cardiac marker tests were negative and the patient was managed conservatively and discharged after 2 days in a stable condition with follow-up advice from gastroenterology team. Discussion: A variety of non-cardiac abdominal pathologies like AP can mimic electrocardiographic findings suggestive of acute myocardial ischaemia. However, even with high sensitivity, ECG can have false-positive ST-T changes. It mandates a thorough history, clinical examination, and comprehensive investigation to establish a diagnosis and make a proper disposal from ED.


HTML PDF Share
  1. Gapp J, Chandra S. Acute Pancreatitis. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls; 2021.
  2. Mederos MA, Reber HA, Girgis MD. Acute pancreatitis: a review. JAMA 2021;325(4):382–390. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2020.20317.
  3. Gulati R, Behfar A, Narula J, et al. Acute myocardial infarction in young individuals. Mayo Clin Proc 2020;95(1):136–156. DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.05.001.
  4. Edmondstone WM. Cardiac chest pain: Does body language help the diagnosis? BMJ 1995;311(7021):1660–1661. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.311.7021.1660.
  5. Sattar Y, Chhabra L. Electrocardiogram. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022.
  6. Ibanez B, James S, Agewall S, et al. 2017 ESC Guidelines for the management of acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation: The task force for the management of acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Eur Heart J 2018;39(2):119–177. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehx393.
  7. Suzuki M, Hori S, Fujishima S, et al. Diagnostic value of a bedside test for cardiac troponin T in the patient with chest pain presenting to the emergency room. Keio J Med 2000;49(2):74–79. DOI: 10.2302/kjm.49.74.
  8. Gard JJ, Bader W, Enriquez-Sarano M, et al. Uncommon cause of ST-elevation. Circulation 2011;123(9):e259–e261. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.002477.
  9. Agrawal A, Sayyida N, Penalver JL, et al. Acute pancreatitis mimicking ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Case Rep Cardiol 2018;2018:9382904. DOI: 10.1155/2018/9382904.
  10. Yu ES, Lange JJ, Broor A, et al. Acute pancreatitis masquerading as inferior wall myocardial infarction: A review. Case Rep Gastroenterol 2019;13(2):321–335. DOI: 10.1159/000501197.
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.