Atypical Presentation of Acute Coronary Syndrome and Importance of Wellens’ Syndrome

Patient: Female, 74 Final Diagnosis: Acute coronary syndrome Symptoms: Throat pain Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Percutaneous coronary intervention Specialty: Cardiology OBJECTIVE: Challenging differential diagnosis BACKGROUND: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a common and potentially life-threatening condition encountered in emergency departments. Despite its dreaded nature, nearly one-third of ACS present without chest pain and may mislead clinicians. Additionally, Wellens’ syndrome is a pre-infarction stage of significant proximal left anterior descending (LAD) artery stenosis, which can lead to extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction without timely intervention. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 74-year-old woman presenting with isolated throat pain and Wellens’ pattern in the initial EKG, which prompted the proper workup and management. Subsequently, coronary angiogram revealed more than 90% occlusion of the proximal LAD artery, and a drug-eluting stent was deployed. The patient did well after the procedure and the follow-up at 2 weeks after discharge was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the importance of awareness of atypical presentation of ACS and importance of Wellens’ syndrome. We also discuss the incidence of craniofacial symptoms of ACS, and the epidemiology, pathophysiology, management, and prognosis of Wellens’ syndrome.