title: Fatal pulmonary thromboembolism after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
abstract: A 67-year-old woman presented with severe cardiopulmonary insufficiency 17 days after an uneventful laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Pulmonary thromboembolism was demonstrated by transthoracic echocardiogram and later confirmed at surgery. With the aid of a cardiopulmonary bypass, a thrombectomy of the right atrium and the pulmonary artery was accomplished. The patient could not be weaned off cardiopulmonary bypass and ultimately died. We therefore recommend antithromboembolism therapy with low-molecular-weight heparin in selected cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, c/ Barranco de la Ballena s/n, 35020 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abad
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Cáceres
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alonso
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000628:therapy; D004562:Electrocardiography; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery