Successful Venous Angioplasty of Superior Vena Cava Syndrome after Heart Transplantation

Language
en
Document Type
Article
Issue Date
2015-03-05
Issue Year
2014
Authors
Strecker, Thomas
Zimmermann, Iris
Heinz, Marco
Rösch, Johannes
Agaimy, Abbas
Weyand, Michael
Editor
Abstract

Introduction. For patients with terminal heart failure, heart transplantation (HTX) has become an established therapy. Before transplantation there are many repeated measurements with a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) via the superior vena cava (SVC) necessary. After transplantation, endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is recommended for routine surveillance of heart transplant rejection again through the SVC. Case Presentation. In this report, we present a HTX patient who developed a SVC syndrome as a possible complication of all these procedures via the SVC. This 35-year-old Caucasian male could be successfully treated by balloon dilatation/angioplasty. Conclusion. The SVC syndrome can lead to pressure increase in the venous system such as edema in the head and the upper part of the body and further serious complications like cerebral bleeding and ischemia, or respiratory problems. Balloon angioplasty and stent implantation are valid methods to treat stenoses of the SVC successfully.

Journal Title
Case Reports in Cardiology
Volume
2014
Issue
490276
Citation
Case Reports in Cardiology 2014 (2014). <http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cric/2014/490276/>
DOI
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