166: When the Mitral Valve Breaks: Papillary Muscle Rupture After MI

Podcast: Rapid Response RN · Sarah Lorenzini

Opublikowano: 2026-09-18

"I feel like I'm drowning." Four days after a STEMI, a patient who had been recovering well is sitting bolt upright, coughing up pink, frothy sputum, and unable to catch his breath. In this episode, Sarah walks you through a worst-case scenario complication every cardiac nurse needs on their radar: post-MI papillary muscle rupture causing acute, severe mitral regurgitation. This is one of those zebra diagnoses that you may never see... but if you do, recognizing it early is what gets your patient to the OR alive. Sarah breaks down the pathophysiology behind the patient's...