Severe coagulopathy following insertion of the LeVeen shunt: a potentially fatal complication.
Four patients who underwent insertion of the LeVeen shunt for treatment of medically intractable hepatic ascites had coagulation changes. Peritoneo-venous shunting was associated with a mild coagulopathy in two patients, simulating disseminated intravascular coagulation or primary fibrinolysis. The coagulopathy was severe in two patients and life-threatening in one of these. Postoperative coagulopathy may be detected by careful monitoring of coagulation indices and the risk of its development parallels the severity of liver disease.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015119:Aminocaproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001201:Ascites / Q000601:surgery*; D001778:Blood Coagulation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications
D015119:Aminocaproic Acid