Severe Vascular Complications Following Thrombolytic Therapy in a Case of Prosthetic Mitral Valve Thrombosis – A Case Report

Abstract

Prosthetic cardiac valve thrombosis is a rare but dangerous complication; 1,2 particularly in patients with low conformity on anticoagulant therapy. Thromboembolic problems happen after mechanical valve substitution in 0.5 - 8 percent. 3-5 Fibrinolytic therapy to treat the thrombosis is widely used nowadays with high efficacy and no severe side effects as compared to emergency surgical treatment, which is associated with high mortality.6 Surgical valve repair in patients with rheumatic heart disease remains the gold standard for the treatment. Thrombosis of the prosthetic heart valve in patients undergoing valve replacement, is the most severe and deadly complication. Currently, the treatments available for symptomatic prosthetic valve thrombosis are immediate surgery or thrombolytic therapy (TT). In rural hospital settings patients are poor and there is a lack of surgical expertise. These factors make TT the perfect treatment for prosthetic valve thrombosis. But one should be aware of embolic complications.