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Eur Heart J Case Rep
. 2025 Feb 20;9(2):ytae609.
doi: 10.1093/ehjcr/ytae609. eCollection 2025 Feb. Rapid onset of myocardial calcification following septic shock due to influenza superinfection: a case report
Thibaut Gobé 1 , Adrien Werquin 1 , Nicolas Polge 1 , Bernard Cholley 1 2
Affiliations
Background: Myocardial calcification is an unusual complication of septic cardiomyopathy. Dystrophic calcification may occur after damage to myocardial tissue, but its occurrence is rare.
Case summary: A 42-year-old pregnant woman with no past medical history was admitted in intensive care for respiratory distress caused by bacterial superinfection of influenza. Subepicardial calcification of the left ventricle appeared on a computed tomography at Day 8. Calcification worsened quickly, but we observed a paradoxical improvement in left ventricle function, as assessed by left ventricular ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain using echocardiography with speckle tracking.
Discussion: The pathophysiology of myocardial calcification is not fully understood, but prolonged haemodynamic failure, profound acidosis, high vasopressor doses, and acute respiratory distress syndrome were previously associated with septic-related myocardial calcification.
Keywords: ARDS; Case report; Global longitudinal strain; Myocardial calcification; Septic shock; Subepicardial calcification; VV-ECMO.
. 2025 Feb 20;9(2):ytae609.
doi: 10.1093/ehjcr/ytae609. eCollection 2025 Feb. Rapid onset of myocardial calcification following septic shock due to influenza superinfection: a case report
Thibaut Gobé 1 , Adrien Werquin 1 , Nicolas Polge 1 , Bernard Cholley 1 2
Affiliations
- PMID: 39981022
- PMCID: PMC11839270
- DOI: 10.1093/ehjcr/ytae609
Background: Myocardial calcification is an unusual complication of septic cardiomyopathy. Dystrophic calcification may occur after damage to myocardial tissue, but its occurrence is rare.
Case summary: A 42-year-old pregnant woman with no past medical history was admitted in intensive care for respiratory distress caused by bacterial superinfection of influenza. Subepicardial calcification of the left ventricle appeared on a computed tomography at Day 8. Calcification worsened quickly, but we observed a paradoxical improvement in left ventricle function, as assessed by left ventricular ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain using echocardiography with speckle tracking.
Discussion: The pathophysiology of myocardial calcification is not fully understood, but prolonged haemodynamic failure, profound acidosis, high vasopressor doses, and acute respiratory distress syndrome were previously associated with septic-related myocardial calcification.
Keywords: ARDS; Case report; Global longitudinal strain; Myocardial calcification; Septic shock; Subepicardial calcification; VV-ECMO.