Biventricular thrombi dissolution and antibody development with lepirudin therapy

• Published in: Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift Vol. 128; no. 28-29; p. 1531
• Main Authors: Skowasch, D, Pötzsch, B, Kuntz-Hehner, S, Gampert, T, Rox, J, Omran, H, Bauriedel, G, Lüderitz, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Germany 11.07.2003
• Subjects: Antibody Formation - immunology; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - complications; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - diagnostic imaging; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - drug therapy; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - immunology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Echocardiography; Fatal Outcome; Fibrinolytic Agents - administration & dosage; Fibrinolytic Agents - adverse effects; Fibrinolytic Agents - immunology; Heart Failure - complications; Heart Failure - diagnostic imaging; Heart Failure - drug therapy; Heart Failure - immunology; Heart Ventricles - diagnostic imaging; Heart Ventricles - immunology; Hematuria - chemically induced; Hematuria - immunology; Hemoptysis - chemically induced; Hemoptysis - immunology; Hirudins - administration & dosage; Hirudins - adverse effects; Hirudins - analogs & derivatives; Hirudins - immunology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prothrombin Time; Purpura - chemically induced; Purpura - immunology; Recombinant Proteins - administration & dosage; Recombinant Proteins - adverse effects; Recombinant Proteins - immunology; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage - chemically induced; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage - immunology; Thrombosis - diagnostic imaging; Thrombosis - drug therapy; Thrombosis - immunology
• ISSN: 0012-0472

A 50-year-old patient presented with clinical symptoms of heart failure with orthopnoe and edema (NYHA IV). Echocardiography revealed a dilated left ventricle with severely reduced left ventricular function and biventricular floating thrombi, due to dilatative cardiomyopathy. With a heart failure medication clinical symptoms reduced and body weight decreased > 10 kg in 3 weeks. Due to the high-risk constellation, anticoagulation was performed with lepirudin and the biventricular thrombi were dissolved within 17 days. At this point in time, the patient suffered from petechial bleedings, hemoptysis and gross hematuria. Despite breaking anticoagulation and substitution of PPSB with not measurable fibrinogen, subarachnoid hemorrhage occurred leading to exitus letalis. Lepirudin is a highly effective anticoagulant, that can induce severe hemorrhagic side effects in individual cases. The present case report demonstrates an immunological reaction as a rare cause with activation of prothrombin and formation of fibrin.