De Winter’s pattern: an uncommon but very important electrocardiographic sign in the prompt recognition of spontaneous occlusive coronary artery dissection in young patients with chest pain (a case report)

Abstract

Chest pain is a clinical symptom for immediate consultation, and electrocardiogram (ECG) is a valuable diagnostic tool for use in the emergency room. Although the ST- elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) requires urgent management, there are other ECG high-risk findings which are associated with adverse outcomes or imminent acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This is a case of STEMI equivalent pattern such as de Winter. As this ECG pattern is uncommon, it may be misinterpreted in the emergency department. We report a misinterpretation of de Winter's pattern (dWp) in a young woman referred to the emergency department for chest pain, feeling of suffocation and hemodynamic instability who undergone reteplase treatment with the suspicion of acute massive pulmonary embolism but developed cardiogenic shock as a result of extensive myocardial infarction due to spontaneous dissection of the left anterior descending coronary artery. A prompt diagnosis of de Winter's pattern and early angiography to detect the underlying cause of clinical manifestation can be lifesaving.