Dynamic obstruction induced by systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve in a volume-depleted left ventricle: an unexpected cause of acute heart failure in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve (MV) and left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) dynamic obstruction (DO) typically occur in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; however, they can appear in an apparently normal heart in association with changes in cardiac loading conditions and/or hyperdynamic left ventricular (LV) performance. Meanwhile, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can impair LV filling by elevating pulmonary vascular resistance. The authors report a case of transient acute heart failure caused by LVOT DO resulting from SAM of the MV in a severely volume-depleted LV in a patient with acute COPD exacerbation.