A pregnant woman with a mechanical prosthetic valve

A 24-year-old woman who was 11 weeks pregnant and had a mechanical mitral valve presented at the emergency department with ischemic stroke. Although treatment with aspirin and unfractionated heparin was initially successful, subsequent management was almost impossible, as she eventually suffered a r...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gonçalo J. Morgado, Inês R. Cruz, Ana Catarina Gomes, Ana Rita Almeida, Maria José Loureiro, Carlos Cotrim, Hélder Pereira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-06-01
Series:Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0870255117301920
Description
Summary:A 24-year-old woman who was 11 weeks pregnant and had a mechanical mitral valve presented at the emergency department with ischemic stroke. Although treatment with aspirin and unfractionated heparin was initially successful, subsequent management was almost impossible, as she eventually suffered a right hemispheric stroke, requiring percutaneous intervention and an emergency cesarian; prosthetic valve thrombosis with hemodynamic instability; and multiple bleeding complications. This case demonstrates how difficult it can be to select the appropriate treatment strategy for prosthetic valve thrombosis. Resumo: Uma mulher de 24 anos, grávida de 11 semanas, com uma prótese mecânica em posição mitral, foi admitida no serviço de urgência com um acidente vascular cerebral isquémico. Apesar de a terapêutica com aspirina e heparina não fracionada ter sido inicialmente bem-sucedida, a gestão subsequente da doente foi dificultada por várias intercorrências: acidente vascular cerebral hemisférico direito com necessidade de intervenção percutânea e realização de cesariana emergente; trombose obstrutiva de prótese com instabilidade hemodinâmica; múltiplas complicações hemorrágicas. Este caso permite ilustrar as dificuldades na seleção do tratamento da trombose de prótese. Keywords: Pregnancy and cardiovascular disease, Embolism and thrombosis, Heart valve prosthesis, Palavras-chave: Gravidez e doença cardiovascular, Trombose e embolia, Prótese valvular cardíaca
ISSN:0870-2551