Acute Superior Mesenteric Artery Embolism: Rapid Reperfusion with Hydrodynamic Thrombectomy and Pharmacological Thrombolysis

Purpose: To report a case of acute superior mesenteric artery (SMA) embolism successfully treated with hydrodynamic thrombectomy and pharmacological thrombolysis. Case Report: A 67-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with acute severe abdominal pain. Selective angiography via a femoral puncture revealed a complete embolic occlusion distal to the first jejunal branch of the SMA. Hydrodynamic thrombectomy resolved the severe abdominal pain of the patient in approximately 10 minutes after the start of thrombectomy. Local continuous thrombolysis with urokinase resulted in near complete restoration of the mesenteric flow after 24 hours. The patient made an uneventful recovery and continues to do well on warfarin therapy 8 months after treatment; he has shown no evidence of malabsorption. Conclusions: Although insertion of the device into the SMA via a femoral puncture is a difficult approach, we propose that hydrodynamic thrombectomy followed by local thrombolysis is a useful treatment for acute superior mesenteric artery embolism.

Suspected Pulmonary Artery Disruption after Transvenous Pulmonary Embolectomy Using a Hydrodynamic Thrombectomy Device: Clinical Case and Experimental Study on Porcine Lung Explants

Purpose: To use porcine lung explants for reconstructing possible situations in which a vessel wall disruption might have occurred in a patient suffering fatal hemoptysis after pulmonary embolectomy with a hydrodynamic thrombectomy device. Methods: A 76-year-old woman with massive pulmonary embolism underwent transvenous pulmonary embolectomy using a 6-F AngioJet Xpeedior catheter according to manufacturer's instructions. While activating the device in the middle lobe artery (∼8 mm diameter), massive and ultimately fatal arterial bleeding occurred through the tracheal tube. Because no autopsy was authorized, an experimental study was designed to examine possible causes for the vessel disruption. Five fresh porcine heart-lung preparations were examined inside a dedicated chest phantom. Access to the pulmonary vessels was provided through catheters inside the right and left ventricular outlets. A low-flow circulation was maintained with an external pump. The 6-F AngioJet thrombectomy device was activated at 42 sites inside vessels from 2 to 10 mm in diameter; in one lung, 8 activations were made after deliberately withdrawing the guidewire. Results: Vessels >6 mm in diameter remained intact. Vessel wall disruption occurred in 4 of 7 vessels between 4 and 6 mm in diameter and in 13 of 14 segmental arteries <4 mm in diameter (regardless of whether or not a guidewire was used). The signs of vessel wall disruption included extravasation of contrast material, arteriovenous fistula, and laceration of distal airspaces with contrast inside the bronchus. Conclusions: The application of this system has to be considered potentially dangerous when activated inside vessels with diameters < 6 mm. The use of this device appears to be safe only inside main branches of the lung vessels at this time. Additional experiments will be required to substantiate these initial results.