Left atrial appendage thrombus in a preterm neonate in sinus rhythm with septic shock

Intracardiac Thrombi in Preterm Infants-A Case Study and Review of the Literature

Intracardiac thrombi in preterm infants are not common but may lead to fatal outcomes. Predisposing and risk factors include small vessel size, hemodynamic instability, immaturity of the fibrinolytic system, indwelling central catheters and sepsis. In this paper, we present our own experience with a case of a catheter-related right atrial thrombus in a preterm infant, which was successfully treated with an aspiration thrombectomy. Then, we review the literature on intracardiac thrombosis in preterm infants: epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical signs, echocardiographic diagnostic features and treatment options are discussed.

Thrombus in the left atrial appendage: a case report of neonate

A Japanese girl first pointed out the mass in the left atrial appendage by the echocardiography on the 3rd day of life. At 30th day of life, the mass in the left atrial appendage was excised en bloc successfully under cardiopulmonary bypass because it appeared mobile. Its pathologic finding revealed an old organised thrombus. She is doing well with no episode of thrombus formation or thromboembolism, 2 years postoperatively.