[Risk consideration for peridural catheter removal in acute coronary syndrome. Epidural hematoma versus stent thrombosis]

Anaesthesist. 2014 Sep;63(8-9):651-5. doi: 10.1007/s00101-014-2358-z.
[Article in German]

Abstract

Perioperative pain therapy using an epidural catheter is the standard operating procedure for numerous surgical interventions. The necessity of initiating anticoagulant therapy in a patient with an epidural catheter requires a careful weighing up between thromboembolic complications and epidural hematoma. The case presented here of a 47-year-old female patient who was operated on for mastectomy with a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap demonstrates a possible solution to this dilemma. The patient sustained a perioperative ST elevation myocardial infarction treated with drug-eluting stents while undergoing epidural pain therapy. By using the short-acting antiplatelet drug tirofiban over a time period of 7 days the gap for dual antiplatelet therapy was reduced with the help of specific platelet aggregation assays to a time frame of a few hours to minimize the risk of stent thrombosis. The epidural catheter was removed without complications under consideration of the current recommendations for regional anesthesia and antithrombotic agents.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Acute Coronary Syndrome / surgery*
  • Anesthesia, Epidural / adverse effects*
  • Anesthesia, Epidural / instrumentation*
  • Catheters*
  • Device Removal / methods*
  • Female
  • Fibrinolytic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Hematoma / diagnosis*
  • Humans
  • Intraoperative Complications / therapy
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction / etiology
  • Myocardial Infarction / therapy
  • Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Postoperative Complications / diagnosis*
  • Postoperative Complications / therapy*
  • Risk
  • Stents / adverse effects*
  • Thrombosis / diagnosis*
  • Thrombosis / drug therapy

Substances

  • Fibrinolytic Agents
  • Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors