Premium
Acute massive pulmonary embolism during patient repositioning following excision of a thymic carcinoma in a patient affected by cryoglobulinemia
Author(s) -
Antonacci Filippo,
Masiglat Leslie J. T.,
Borrelli Ermelinda,
Salati Maurizio,
D'Armini Andrea M.,
Pelenghi Stefano,
Totaro Pasquale
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of cardiac surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.428
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1540-8191
pISSN - 0886-0440
DOI - 10.1111/jocs.14759
Subject(s) - medicine , embolectomy , pulmonary embolism , thrombolysis , contraindication , complication , cryoglobulinemia , surgery , embolism , pathology , hepatitis c virus , myocardial infarction , immunology , virus , alternative medicine
Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is a well‐described complication following surgical procedures. The incidence of such a complication can be related to the presence of a peculiar patient's condition. Cryoglobulinemia, which consists in the presence of one or more immunoglobulins in the serum that precipitate at temperatures below 37°C and redissolve on warming, seems to increase the risk of thrombotic events. Treatment options of APE, according to clinical severity, include systemic thrombolysis, surgical embolectomy, and systemic anticoagulation. Thrombolysis is considered the first‐line treatment, whereas surgery is reserved in case of extremely‐compromised hemodynamic conditions related to massive central embolism, and in case of contraindication to thrombolysis. Here, we report a case of acute massive pulmonary embolism occurring at the end of a surgical procedure for a thymic carcinoma resection, in a patient with cryoglobulinemia, which required an emergent surgical pulmonary embolectomy.