A rare case of acute alcohol intoxication mimicking an electrocardiographic pattern for acute coronary syndrome with ST-segment elevation

Submitted: 1 October 2019
Accepted: 20 December 2019
Published: 15 April 2020
Abstract Views: 1131
PDF: 399
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A patient presenting an ST-segment elevation could represent a life-threatening condition in Emergency Department (ED). This case shows how sometimes, a chronic, and more often, an acute abuse of alcohol is related to important harmful effects on myocardial contractility. The authors present a case of a 19-year-old male of oriental-Asiatic origin admitted unconscious to ED with alcoholic fetor: on electrocardiogram a significant and widespread STsegment elevation was observed. A bedside echocardiography showed no abnormalities in segmental kinetics; therefore electrocardiogram- alterations could be related to a coronary spasm. The literature is poor about this effect induced by acute alcohol ingestion: the pathophysiological mechanism at the base of the abnormal muscle contractility, seems to be related to an impairment in cyclic guanosine monophosphate production, although a second and less probable hypothesis could be an altered intracellular concentration of calcium levels.

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How to Cite

Lai, F., Pelagatti, L., Pagnini, C., Baldini, A., Versari, D., & Magazzini, S. (2020). A rare case of acute alcohol intoxication mimicking an electrocardiographic pattern for acute coronary syndrome with ST-segment elevation. Emergency Care Journal, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2020.8596