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Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Right atrial thrombus and its causes, complications, and therapy
Mina M Benjamin1, Aasim Afzal1, Themistokles Chamogeorgakis1
1Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas.
Abstract:
A 70-year-old man who presented with dyspnea and intermittent chest pain was found to have a large free-floating right atrial thrombus on two-dimensional echocardiogram. Atriotomy was performed, and an 18-cm-long thrombus was removed from the right atrium and inferior vena cava. Postoperatively, the patient developed cardiogenic shock treated by intravenous vasopressor agents and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The postoperative course was also complicated by bilateral pulmonary emboli requiring pulmonary artery thrombectomy. Right atrial thrombus is an underdiagnosed condition with a high mortality rate. The best management modality has not yet been established.
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