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Pulmonary embolism after cesarian section due to heparin-induced thrombocytopenia despite normal platelet count

F-C Riess1, A Gross, U Budde

  • 1Department of Cardiac Surgery, Albertinen Hospital, Hamburg, Germany. Friedrich-Christian.Riess@albertinen.de

The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon
|July 23, 2005
PubMed

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) type II is typically characterized by a decrease in platelet count to values between 20 and 120 x 10 (9)/L or a platelet count fall of greater than 50%. We report on a patient who developed a HIT syndrome, thrombosis of the vena cava, and fulminant pulmonary embolism during heparin treatment after cesarean section, without a significant decrease in platelet count. Lepirudin anticoagulation and ecarin clotting time (ECT) monitoring were used successfully during cardiopulmonary bypass.

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