A 66-year-old woman collapses while shopping and expires suddenly of cardiac arrest. Her past medical history is significant for long-standing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Her relatives note that she had complained of chest heaviness and shoness of breath for the past 2 weeks. Sterile fibrinous pericarditis and pericardial effusion are observed at autopsy. What additional finding would be expected during autopsy of this patient?
Fibrinous pericarditis may develop 2 to 10 weeks after a transmural myocardial infarction. Patients with long-standing diabetes mellitus are paicularly susceptible to coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. One fouh to one half of all nonfatal myocardial infarctions are asymptomatic. In such patients, sudden death usually reflects a cardiac arrhythmia.
Endocardial fibroelastosis
Marantic endocarditis
Mitral valve prolapse
Myocardial infarct
Myocardial Infarction