Myocardial catastrophe a case of sudden, severe myocardial dysfunction

This case underscores the need to apply a wide differential diagnosis in a patient with an atypical and dramatic presentation of acute heart failure progressing to cardiogenic shock. Cardiac MRI and myocardial biopsy played a central role in the timely diagnosis of her disease and should be considered early in the diagnostic workup of a fulminant presentation. Only with a multidisciplinary approach involving several subspecialties of cardiology, hematology, pathology, radiology, and cardiac surgery was this patient rescued from a nearly fatal event; she now awaits transplantation.