Left ventricular wall hematoma and cardiac tamponade complicating percutaneous coronary intervention using IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists

A large dissecting sub-epicardial hematoma and cardiac tamponade following elective percutaneous coronary intervention

A 70-year-old woman was performed percutaneous coronary intervention at the stenotic lesion of the 1st diagonal branch. Soon after stenting, cardiac tamponade occurred and emergent cardiac surgery was performed. A large epicardial hematoma was observed in the antero-lateral wall that was compressing the distal diagonal branch. The patient died of multi-organ failure 3 days after surgery. An autopsy of her heart revealed an extensive intramural hematoma in the left ventricular wall. There was no evidence of perforation of the stented lesion. The suspected cause was neither coronary perforation nor coronary rupture of target lesion.

Hemorrhagic pericarditis with cardiac tamponade after percutaneous coronary intervention associated with the use of abciximab

Glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors, such as abciximab, are used as adjunctive therapy for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in high-risk non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), although their effects when used for STEMI are less clear. As the use of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors becomes more widespread, determining the risks associated with them becomes more important. The major risks associated with the use of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors are the potential for major bleeding and thrombocytopenia. This is the first reported case in Korea of hemorrhagic pericarditis resulting in cardiac tamponade associated with the use of abciximab, a commonly used GP Ilb/IIa inhibitor, following PCI.

Interventricular septum hematoma during cineventriculography

Background

Intraseptal hematoma and subsequent myocardial infarction due to accidental contrast agent deposition complicating diagnostic cineventriculography is a previously undescribed complication of angiography.

Case presentation

A 61 year old man was admitted at intensive care unit because of unstable angina pectoris 1 hour after coronary angiography. Transthoracic contrast echocardiography showed a non-perfused area in the middle of interventricular septum with an increase of thickening up to 26 mm. Review of cineventriculography revealed contrast enhancement in the interventricular septum after contrast medium injection and a dislocation of the pigtail catheter tip. Follow up by echocardiography and MRI showed, that intramural hematoma has resolved after 6 weeks. After 8 weeks successful stent implantation in LAD was performed and after 6 month the patient had a normal LV-function without ischemic signs or septal thickening demonstrated by stressechocardiography.

Conclusion

A safe and mobile position of the pigtail catheter during ventriculography in the middle of the LV cavity should be ensured to avoid this potentially life-threatening complication. For assessment and absolute measurement of intramural hematoma contrast-enhanced echocardiography is more feasible than MRI and makes interchangeable results.