STATION 5 ANSWERS

A 60-year-old man complains of acute chest pain and died shortly later. 

1.    Give 2 differential diagnoses.

a.    Myocardial infarct.

b.    Pulmonary embolism. 

2.    If the patient survives, what can happen to the lesion?

The infarct area is replaced by fibrous tissue.

3.    What is the functional loss?

Fibrous tissue is not able to stretch or contract and there will be a loss of contractility in that area of the affected myocardium.

Copyright � Joseph Ong 2003