Coronary Artery Emergencies in Children

Abstract

Coronary artery issues are rare in children, leading to challenges for the pediatric emergency medicine practitioner. The differential diagnosis can be grouped into congenital or acquired coronary abnormalities. Congenital coronary anomalies leading to myocardial ischemia or aborted sudden cardiac death are most often due to an anomalous origin of a coronary artery. Acquired coronary artery disease is most commonly related to the sequelae of Kawasaki disease. Lastly, rare, specific patient populations are at higher risk for early coronary disease. This review discusses the most common pediatric causes of coronary artery events, providing an overview of the evaluation and management in an emergency department setting.