DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2023.v11i05.068

Pages: 1029-1033

The case revolves around a 62-year-old male patient who was a smoker and had inadequately-controlled hypertension and dyslipidemia. He was admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit after having an emergency PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) performed on his LMS (left main stem) and LAD (left anterior descending). The patient had gone into acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema, which immediately warranted intubation. He had been diagnosed with a case of anterolateral STEMI (an ST-elevation myocardial infarction) which had led him to develop this condition. A bedside ECHO carried out revealed problems with his heart as well, and particularly the left ventricle. This put him at a great risk of developing cardiac arrest, which could have fatal consequences if not appropriate interventions were not carried out. To resolve this condition, an IABP (an intra-aortic balloon pump) was inserted under the guidance of an ECHO, and only once the ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) had been achieved. Once everything had been settled, an infusion of noradrenaline and vasopressin was started. The IABP was maintaining pressure at 100 mm Hg. The patient was extubated after six days and his IABP was removed four days later. To assess if there was any internal damage to his brain, a plain CT scan of the brain without contrast was ordered, which revealed cerebellar infarcts. This infarct had manifested itself in the form of hypophonia and wide-based ataxia. By the end of his stay at the hospital, the patient had started to walk and had greatly stabilized. The prognosis seemed favorable and the patient’s life was saved on discharge medications protocol. This case study is an example of how cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if done correctly and promptly, can help save the life of a patient with very little hope. It can be a matter of seconds before a patient’s condition deteriorates or turns fatal. The same applies to patients undergoing sudden cardiac arrest (SCD), .........