Successful endovascular treatment of simultaneous acute ischaemic stroke and hyperacute ST-elevation myocardial infarction: the first case report of a single-operator cardio-cerebral intervention

BACKGROUND: The simultaneous management of cardio-cerebral infarctions is an extremely difficult task, as both organs need to receive reperfusion therapy in a limited time to avoid death or permanent disability. The following case is the first published endovascular treatment of synchronous heart and brain infarctions delivered by a single operator with excellent clinical outcome. CASE SUMMARY: A 67-year-old female patient was directly transported to the emergency room of a comprehensive stroke centre with acute onset global aphasia and right hemiplegia. The onset to admission time exceeded the 4.5-h time window of systemic thrombolysis. Head computed tomography (CT) excluded extensive early extensive brain damage, CT angiography documented left middle cerebral artery occlusion and mechanical thrombectomy was indicated. Extensive anterior ST elevation was detected on the transport monitor while waiting for in-hospital transfer. The two simultaneously evolving pathologies were handled in a single endovascular procedure that took less than 60 min by a dual-trained interventional cardiologist/neurointerventional surgeon. The patient recovered without any major cardiac or neurologic sequela. DISCUSSION: Interventional cardiologists, professionally trained through a neurointerventional fellowship programme to perform endovascular stroke interventions according to the latest multi-society position paper, could not only complement stroke teams lacking manpower, but their unique experience could also help the patients suffering from the most devastating forms of cardio-cerebral infarctions.