The follow electronic only articles are published in conjunction with this issue of Heart.

Acute myocardial infarction caused by paradoxical tumorous embolism as a manifestation of hepatocarcinoma

O Diaz Castro, H Bueno, L A Nebreda

A 71 year old patient presented with a non-ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction. The echocardiogram showed several masses attached to the interatrial septum. Several days after admission the patient died. A postmortem examination found a large hepatocarcinoma with intravascular and intracardiac metastases and several myocardial infarctions of different ages. The infarctions had been caused by coronary paradoxical embolisms through a patent foramen ovale and contained neoplastic cells from the liver carcinoma, which had not been diagnosed. The cause of death was a massive pulmonary embolism.

(Heart 2004;90:e29) www.heartjnl.com/cgi/content/full/90/5/e29

Successful treatment of left atrial disk thrombus on an amplatzer atrial septal defect occluder with abciximab and heparin

F E Willcoxson, J D R Thomson, J L Gibbs

Acute device thrombosis is a rare but important complication after transcatheter atrial septal defect closure. In this case a mobile thrombus was noted on the left side of an Amplatzer atrial septal occluder after device release in a 12 year old boy with an uncomplicated atrial septal defect. The thrombus was successfully treated with an infusion of heparin and the glycoprotein IIa/IIIb receptor antagonist abciximab. Transoesophageal ultrasound performed the following day showed complete resolution of the clot. There are no reports to guide treatment of acute thrombosis in this setting. This combination of treatments was effective without complication in this case.

(Heart 2004;90:e30) www.heartjnl.com/cgi/content/full/90/5/e30