Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Probable right atrial thrombus immediately after recombinant activated factor VII administration
1Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Butterfield Street, Herston, Brisbane, Queensland 4006, Australia. georgepang@hotmail.com
We report the finding of a probable right atrial thrombus in a 33-yr-old male patient with severe head, chest, and abdominal trauma. Refractory coagulopathy and gross haemodynamic instability ensued, which was only partially controlled with massive blood product transfusion and high-dose inotropic support during laparotomy. Continuous transoesophageal echocardiography revealed a probable atrial thrombus partially occluding the right ventricular inflow tract, which appeared immediately after the patient received 100 microg kg(-1) of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) via a left internal jugular central line. This is the first report documenting an immediate temporal relationship between rFVIIa administration and a space-occupying lesion compatible with localized thrombosis, despite ongoing severe systemic coagulopathy. We review the clinical use of rFVIIa and discuss possible factors contributing to this event.
We report the finding of a probable right atrial thrombus in a 33-yr-old male patient with severe head, chest, and abdominal trauma. Refractory coagulopathy and gross haemodynamic instability ensued, which was only partially controlled with massive blood product transfusion and high-dose inotropic support during laparotomy. Continuous transoesophageal echocardiography revealed a probable atrial thrombus partially occluding the right ventricular inflow tract, which appeared immediately after the patient received 100 microg kg(-1) of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) via a left internal jugular central line. This is the first report documenting an immediate temporal relationship between rFVIIa administration and a space-occupying lesion compatible with localized thrombosis, despite ongoing severe systemic coagulopathy. We review the clinical use of rFVIIa and discuss possible factors contributing to this event.
Related Concept Videos
Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care
Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
Anticoagulant Drugs: Vitamin K Antagonists and Direct Oral Anticoagulants
Warfarin, a prominent vitamin K antagonist family member, exerts its effect by inhibiting the enzyme VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1). By hindering this enzyme, warfarin...
Venous Thrombosis I: Introduction
Pulmonary Embolism II: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Pathways of Hemostasis
The Extrinsic Pathway
The extrinsic pathway of coagulation is typically initiated by tissue damage that exposes blood to tissue factor (TF), a protein released by the damaged tissue cells outside the blood vessels—this interaction with TF triggers biochemical reactions involving specific clotting factors. The key player here is Factor VII, which forms a...
