Hearts of stone: Rapidly progressive left ventricular myocardial calcifications in severe sepsis: Case series

Abstract

SummaryRapidly progressive left ventricular myocardial calcification (RPLVMC) is a rare phenomenon of severe sepsis which is associated with long‐term complications like irreversible cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias. To date, only 19 cases have been reported in literature. We present a case series of two patients with RPLVMC which manifested within a period of days in the setting of severe sepsis. Unique to previous case reports, the patients in the current case series had no pre‐existing systemic risk factors such as end‐stage kidney disease or endocrinological dysfunction. This case series aims to increase awareness of RPLVMC in severe sepsis, improve its opportunistic detection on routine medical imaging (namely chest x‐ray and computed tomography), and spur future research to develop potential prevention strategies.