Acute Myocardial Infarction Secondary to Ergot Therapy

Abstract

THE precipitation of an acute myocardial infarction by ergot preparations is unusual. This is due in part to the restricted use of the drugs in patients with obliterative vascular disease (that is, marked arteriosclerosis, coronary-artery disease, thrombophlebitis, syphilitic arteritis and Raynaud's and Buerger's syndromes), disease of the liver or kidney and sepsis.¹ All previous reports concern either patients with known contraindications to the use of ergot or those who had received an obvious overdosage. The patient described below had received ergotamine tartrate for many years, had no known contraindications to its continued use and had received what is considered to . . .