Thrombolytic therapy for obstruction of mechanical prosthetic valves

This report describes two patients who were treated for obstruction of St. Jude tricuspid valve prostheses. In the patient with the hypereosinophilic syndrome, right heart failure developed 15 days after valve replacement. The other patient had symptoms of right heart failure for 8 weeks; these occurred 15 months after valve implantation. In both patients, thrombolytic therapy was successful and without major sequelae. Herein we review the literature on the use of thrombolysis for obstructed mechanical prosthetic valves and completely summarize the English literature; the efficacy of thrombolysis for obstructed prosthetic valves and the associated morbidity and mortality are emphasized. Recommendations for thrombolysis in clinical practice are provided.