Abstract Number: PB0268
Meeting: ISTH 2022 Congress
Background: Ascending aortic thrombus is rare in children without history of trauma, hypercoagulable condition or vascular disease and carries a high mortality risk necessitating rapid identification and management.
Aims: We aim to present the clinical course for a rare pediatric case.
Methods: We reviewed the medical record for a child with recurrent life-threatening thrombi.
Results: A 12-year old previously healthy male presented with chest pain. ECG revealed ST segment elevation. Echocardiography revealed an ejection fraction of 25% and a mobile mass (10 x 20 mm) in the ascending aorta. COVID testing was negative. Troponin-I was elevated. He was emergently placed on cardiopulmonary bypass where a large organized thrombus was removed. The left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded. He underwent intracoronary tPA, aspiration thrombectomy and balloon angioplasty. Hypercoagulable and autoimmune work-up revealed elevated factor 8 activity, von willebrand factor (vWF) activity and thrombocytosis with increased function by viscoelastic testing (ROTEM). Myocarditis, cardiogenetics and genetic testing for thrombophilia were negative. He was discharged on heart failure therapy, triple anti-platelet therapy (aspirin, clopidogrel, dipyridamole) and apixiban. He underwent a heart transplant 5 months later. Three weeks post-transplantion, he was incidentally found to have a large left atrial thrombus. At this time, he was only on aspirin. Factor 8 activity at time of transplant and second thrombus discovery was >400%. vWF activity and platelet count were also elevated. ROTEM revealed elevated platelet and fibrinogen activity. He underwent left atrial thrombectomy and was restarted on triple antiplatelet therapy and apixiban. He has not had recurrence on this regimen for 8 months.
Conclusion(s): Thrombocytosis and elevated pro-inflammatory coagulation factors may predispose to development of potentially fatal thrombi. Besides inflammation, etiology may be unknown, particularly in apparently healthy children, prompting additional research into potentially genetic conditions in these complex pathways to further elucidate patients at risk.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Nelson McMillan K, Patel D, Ikeda N, Kane S, Kriesberg C, Dorsey V, Yousaf F, Hibino N, El-Zein C, Vricella L. Aortic Thrombosis Presenting as Myocardial Infarction in a Child [abstract]. https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/aortic-thrombosis-presenting-as-myocardial-infarction-in-a-child/. Accessed March 21, 2024.« Back to ISTH 2022 Congress
ISTH Congress Abstracts - https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/aortic-thrombosis-presenting-as-myocardial-infarction-in-a-child/