Selective embolotherapy as a treatment option for lower gastrointestinal haemorrhage following open-heart surgery

Lower gastrointestinal haemorrhage following cardiac surgery is a rare but potentially life threatening complication. Conservative or endoscopic management often fails to detect and control the bleeding, with surgery, often in the form of a major colonic resection, being the last resort. Surgical intervention, however, is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Our case describes the successful management of small bowel haemorrhage, following coronary artery bypass surgery, with angiographic embolotherapy of a branch of the ileocolic artery. We suggest that selective arterial embolisation is a safe and effective therapeutic option available to hospitals undertaking cardiothoracic surgery and should always be considered in the above context.