title: [Impending paradoxical embolism].
abstract: Impending paradoxical embolism. An intracardiac thrombus traversing a patent foramen ovale is a very infrequent but potentially catastrophic complication of the thromboembolic disease. It is named "impending paradoxical embolism". We report the case of a 71-year-old Caucasian male warded in ten days after a prostatectomy because of bilateral pulmonary embolism. Diagnosis was confirmed by HCT scan and the patient received anticoagulation with heparin. A transesophageal ecocardiogram disclosed a thrombus traversing foramen ovale into the left atrium. Surgical embolectomy was performed, but the patient died shortly after surgery.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cuidados Intensivos, Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires. veltrim@intramed.net
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Veltri
authors.forename: Marcelo H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Elias D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Soloaga
authors.forename: Felipe J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Chertcoff
authors.forename: Osvaldo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Manuale
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ubaldini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D017128:Embolectomy; D019320:Embolism, Paradoxical / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*