Premium
Intravenous prostacyclin in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: case report and review of the literature
Author(s) -
TARDY B.,
PAGE Y.,
COMTET C.,
TARDYPONCET B.,
ZENI F.,
DECOUSUS H.,
BERTRAND J. C.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.625
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1365-2796
pISSN - 0954-6820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2796.1991.tb00443.x
Subject(s) - prostacyclin , medicine , plasmapheresis , thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura , dipyridamole , aspirin , fresh frozen plasma , platelet , gastroenterology , endocrinology , surgery , immunology , antibody
. The use of prostacyclin infusion in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is consistent with the hypothesis that patients may lack a plasma factor stimulating prostacyclin production. However, prostacyclin therapy, alone or in combination with aspirin, dipyridamole, steroid and plasmapheresis, failed in many cases. We here describe the case of a patient who responded dramatically to a combination of prostacyclin and plasma infusions, after conventional therapy had failed (plasmapheresis, fresh frozen plasma infusions). Prostacyclin was infused intravenously initially for 120 h from 4 to 9 ng kg min −1 and then continuously for 48 h at 9 ng kg min −1 . Despite the scarcity of case reports in the literature, we conclude that the failure of prostacyclin in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura appears to be related to insufficient doses and/or duration of therapy.