Right Ventricular Infarction Differential Diagnoses

Updated: Mar 29, 2017
  • Author: Claudia Dima, MD, FACC; Chief Editor: Eric H Yang, MD  more...
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DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

Although right ventricular infarction occurs in more than 30% of patients with inferior posterior left ventricular myocardial infarction, hemodynamically significant right ventricular infarction occurs in less than 10% of these patients. [3, 18, 19]

A right ventricular infarct should be considered in all patients who present with an acute inferior wall myocardial infarction, especially in the setting of a low cardiac output.

Should a patient with right ventricular infarction experience unexplained hypoxia despite administration of 100% oxygen, right-to-left shunting at the atrial level—through a patent foramen ovale or an atrial septal defect—in the presence of right ventricular failure and increased right atrial pressure must be considered. [22, 23]

Differential Diagnoses