Cardiopulmonary bypass using nafamostat mesilate for patients with infective endocarditis and recent intracranial hemorrhage

Infective endocarditis is a life threatening disease with high mortality and morbidity, including brain infarction concomitant with intracranial hemorrhage. Generally, patients with a recent intracranial hemorrhage are believed to be a contraindication to undergo cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. However, some patients with infective endocarditis occasionally require an unavoidable emergent surgery because of uncontrollable heart failure or on-going thromboembolism even if complicated by intracranial hemorrhage. In this study, a cardiopulmonary bypass strategy using nafamostat mesilate as an anticoagulant for such patients is discussed based on three cases we experienced.