https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2020.8739
Thorned heart. Description of a near-fatal cardiac embolism after percutaneous vertebroplasty
Submitted: 6 December 2019
Accepted: 26 March 2020
Published: 6 May 2020
Accepted: 26 March 2020
Abstract Views: 725
PDF: 321
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Cement extravasation is a rather common complication of vertebroplasty, which can be observed in up to 30-40% of patients undergoing this procedure, further associated with venous leakage occurring in up to 24% of cases. Pulmonary embolism may eventually develop once the cement migrates within the pulmonary artery, and is the most common complication of cement extravasation (involving ~4.6% of patients). Intra-cardiac cement embolism is considerably less frequent, but is a potentially fatal complication, mostly managed with cardiac surgery. We describe here a rare case of near-fatal cardiac cement embolism, with a large fragment perforating the right ventricle and reaching the pericardium, who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) for syncope. The patient, who displayed this severe complication after a vertebroplasty procedure performed for osteoporotic compression fracture, needed cardiac surgery.
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How to Cite
Pigna, F., Calamai, S., Scioscioli, F., Buttarelli, L., Nicolini, F., & Cervellin, G. (2020). Thorned heart. Description of a near-fatal cardiac embolism after percutaneous vertebroplasty. Emergency Care Journal, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2020.8739
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