Ventricular Septal Defect Complicating Inferior Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Case of Percutaneous Closure

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is one of the most serious mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Despite the incidence of post-AMI VSD in reperfusion era has reduced from 1%–2% to 0.17%–0.31%, it is a still life-threatening condition with poor prognosis. Surgical VSD closure is considered the best treatment approach since conservative management carries an extremely high mortality rate. Over the last decade, percutaneous transcatheter closure has emerged as an alternative therapeutic strategy for a patient with post-AMI VSD, with outcomes similar to cardiac surgery (30-day mortality 14%–66%). We present a case of inferior AMI complicated by posterobasal VSD and cardiogenic shock successfully treated with percutaneous closure. The role of echocardiography in diagnosis, management, and percutaneous procedure guiding has been emphasized.