AI Article Synopsis
- Oxidized regenerated cellulose, like Surgicel™ Nu-Knit™, is commonly used to stop bleeding but can complicate post-surgery imaging, making it hard to identify on CT or other scans.
- In a case following mitral valve repair, this material blocked the superior vena cava, leading to the need for a second surgery to remove it, highlighting a potential hazard.
- The authors emphasize the importance of surgeons notifying radiologists about the use of such hemostatic agents to help improve the chances of accurate imaging and diagnosis.
Article Abstract
Oxidized regenerated cellulose is widely used as a bioabsorbable topical hemostatic agent. Postoperative visualization of this material through routine chest imaging, such as conventional radiography, computer tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging as well as sonography, may prove difficult and, to our knowledge, is not described in the literature. We describe a case where the mediastinal packing with Surgicel™ Nu-Knit™ after a mitral valve repair procedure led to a delayed obstruction of the superior vena cava, necessitating a re-thoracotomy and curettage of the hemostatic material. The hemostatic agent was not prospectively interpreted as the cause of a severe upper inflow restriction, despite repeated imaging. Retrospectively, the hemostatic material as a cause of the upper inflow obstruction could have been identified earlier if its presence would have been known to the radiologist. We strongly recommend that the surgeon inform the radiologist that such materials were used to improve the diagnostic yield of CT interpretation.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1510/icvts.2010.260547 | DOI Listing |
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