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Successful Resolution of a Large Left Ventricular Thrombus with Rivaroxaban Therapy after Acute Myocardial Infarction
Udit Bhaskar Bhatnagar1, Josh Rezkalla2, Prince Sethi1
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Insights
Left ventricular thrombus after heart attack is risky. Novel oral anticoagulants like rivaroxaban show promise for treatment, successfully resolving thrombi in a recent case study.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Internal Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Left ventricular (LV) thrombus is a serious complication of acute systolic cardiomyopathy, particularly following anterior myocardial infarction (AMI).
- LV thrombi significantly increase embolic risk, up to fivefold compared to the general population.
- Current guidelines recommend vitamin K antagonists for LV thrombi, with limited data on novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs).
Abstract:
Left ventricular (LV) thrombus is a major complication of acute systolic cardiomyopathy especially after a large anterior myocardial infarction (AMI), and it poses a significant embolic risk, up to five times higher than the general population. Current guidelines for LV thrombi recommend vitamin K antagonist for anticoagulation in contrast to novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) which have not been studied well in cases of LV thrombus. We present a case of patient with AMI, who was noted to have severe systolic dysfunction and a large LV thrombus which was successfully treated with rivaroxaban therapy with complete resolution of LV thrombus on two months follow-up.
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