Brief communication

Successful thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction in a patient with the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome

Antiphospholipid syndrome is probably the most common acquired hypercoagulable state, but information on perioperative management is sparse. Minor alterations in anticoagulant therapy, infection, or a surgical insult may trigger widespread thrombosis. The perioperative course of a 31-yr-old woman with primary anticardiolipin antiphospholipid antibody syndrome requiring a mitral valve replacement is described. Postoperatively, she developed acute global biventricular failure requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support and plasmapheresis. The management of anticoagulation and cardiac surgery in this condition is reviewed.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an uncommon prothrombotic disorder that has been increasingly recognized in recent years. The diagnosis of APS must be associated with venous or arterial thrombosis or both. Patients with APS usually present with recurrent deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary thromboembolism, thromboembolic stroke, or myocardial infarction. Here, we report a case of a 61-year-old female who presented with a 3-month history of increasingly frequent retrosternal chest tightness. After treadmill test and thallium-201 myocardial perfusion scan, she was admitted and underwent elective coronary angiography but developed acute thrombosis after direct intracoronary stenting. She was successfully rescued with repeat percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and prolonged heparin and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist use. Laboratory data showed prolongation of partial thromboplastin time and positive anti-cardiolipin antibody. These findings satisfied the criteria for APS; the patient was diagnosed with primary APS because she had neither typical symptoms nor signs of systemic lupus erythematosus or other immunologic disorders. Thereafter, long-term oral anticoagulant appeared to be effective. To our knowledge, this is the first report of acute stent thrombosis in a patient with primary APS.

Patients with Antiphospholipid syndrome usually present with recurrent deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary thromboembolism and thromboembolic stroke. Recurrent coronary events, though reported, are rare. We describe an unusual case of Antiphospholipid syndrome who presented with recurrent acute ischaemic events in two different coronary territories, who was managed successfully with intracoronary stenting.