Successful plasma exchange in a 34-year-old woman with diabetic ketoacidosis and a thrombotic microangiopathy.

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) associated with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a rare complication reported in the pediatric setting. We report a case of an adult patient with new-onset DM, DKA, and TMA who was treated successfully with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). The patient underwent five procedures and experienced quick recovery in her platelet count and a near-normalization of her LDH. Within 3 days, ADAMTS13 activity was reported at 40.7% (>66.8%). After a protracted hospital course, mostly focused on treating the patient's bilateral hemorrhagic chemosis, the patient was discharged on hospital day 30. TMA is associated with a spectrum of diseases such as TTP and sepsis but, to our knowledge, it has not been reported in the setting of DKA in an adult patient. Evidence supports that metabolic alterations associated with DKA and its treatment disrupt basal hemostatic mechanisms and promote a thrombotic state. Although ADAMTS13 activity was only moderately decreased, our patient responded rapidly to TPE, with a striking increase and stabilization of her PLT count that was durable beyond discharge. As reported recently, patients who have TMA with ADAMTS13 activity levels >10% have a range of diagnoses, presentations, and outcomes. Although the underlying microangiopathic process is incompletely understood, these patients may respond well to TPE, as was seen in this case.