Thrombolysis as first choice therapy in prosthetic heart valve thrombosis. A study of 68 patients.

Background And Objectives: Valvular thrombosis is a serious complication in patients with prosthetic heart valves. Traditional treatment is emergency surgery, but thrombolysis provides a non invasive alternative. In this paper we evaluate the efficacy and safety of thrombolysis in prosthetic heart valve thrombosis.

Thrombolytic treatment as first option in recurrent tricuspid prosthetic valve thrombosis and Ebstein's anomaly.

Ebstein's anomaly is the most frequent cause of congenital tricuspid regurgitation. The coexistence of a mechanical heart prosthesis in a low-pressure circuit and poor compliance in the anticoagulant therapy contributed decisively to the appearance of recurrent mechanical heart valve thrombosis in these patients. A 49 years old female patient is reported where thrombolytic therapy with recombinant Streptokinase (TT-rSK) was the first treatment choice in seven recurrent episodes of prosthetic valve thrombosis.

Prosthetic heart valve thrombosis: pathogenesis, diagnosis and management.

Thrombosis of a prosthetic valve is one of the most severe complications of cardiac valve replacement. The incidence is 0.5% in the aortic and mitral positions and up to 20% in the tricuspid position.

Thrombolytic therapy with recombinant streptokinase for prosthetic valve thrombosis.

Background: Thrombosis is a serious complication of prosthetic heart valves, and management is often difficult. Thrombolytic therapy is a promising alternative to valve re-operation in the prosthetic valve thrombosis.

Methods: Fifteen consecutive patients with prosthetic heart valve thrombosis (10 mitral, 3 aortic, 2 tricuspid) were treated with intravenous recombinant streptokinase: 250,000 UI given over 30 minutes followed by an infusion an 100,000 UI per hour, always with clinical monitoring and echocardiographic examinations repeated at 24, 48, and 72 hours after starting thrombolytic therapy.