Percutaneous pleural drainage in patients taking clopidogrel: real danger or phantom fear?

Acute Hemothorax Causing Hemorrhagic Shock Following Small-bore Thoracocentesis in a Patient on Clopidogrel: A Case Report and Literature Review

Clopidogrel is one of the most commonly prescribed thienopyridines used postcoronary stenting for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). There have been several concerns regarding performing small-bore thoracocentesis on patients on clopidogrel in our practice. We present an 85-year-old male with a history of diabetes, atrial fibrillation, diastolic heart failure, chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage three, who recently had a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) requiring a drug-eluting stent (DES) to the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, and was on dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT). He was admitted with worsening shortness of breath and found to have bilateral pleural effusions. He required several small-bore, ultrasound-guided thoracocentesis on the right side while on clopidogrel. Intensivists or residents did all the procedures. The patient went into a hemorrhagic shock following his third small-bore thoracocentesis, requiring pressors, blood and platelet transfusions, and a surgical intercostal (IC) drain insertion. He eventually became clinically stable. An IC arteriogram within 24 h ruled out IC artery injury. Healthcare professionals perceive small-bore thoracocentesis as a safe procedure done on medical, surgical, intensive care, and interventional radiology (IR) units. The overall consensus is that it is safe to perform it on patients taking clopidogrel. We emphasize through this case report the bleeding risks associated with performing such procedures on patients while on clopidogrel and considering holding clopidogrel when feasible or bridging with an intravenous anti-platelet drug.