Emergency surgical closure of postinfarction ventricular septal defect on the beating heart

We present a 77-year-old female with recent myocardial infarction complicated by antero-apical ventricular septal defect (VSD) and quick development of low cardiac output. Using interrupted horizontal mattress sutures VSD closure was successfully performed on the beating heart. Transthoracic echocardiography at the four-month follow-up did not reveal residual VSD.