Acute myocardial infarction during coronary angioplasty associated with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is a well-recognized complication after cardiac or vascular surgery, but it has not been previously reported during percutaneous coronary interventions. This case study describes a patient who developed an acute myocardial infarction during coronary angioplasty in association with the abrupt onset of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Since balloon angioplasty achieved a satisfactory angiographic result with a widely patent epicardial vessel, it is postulated that acute myocardial infarction in this patient may have been caused by platelet aggregation and activation resulting in distal small vessel thrombosis and spasm.