title: Upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis and downhill esophageal varices caused by long-term pacemaker implantation.
abstract: Upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis is common after pacemaker or cardioverter-defibrillator implantation. Only 1% to 3% of patients with upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis become symptomatic. Downhill esophageal varices develop in the upper third of the esophagus as a result of the obstruction of the superior vena cava. Herein, we report the case of a 54-year-old man--a recipient of multiple implanted cardiac pacemakers--who presented with bilateral upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis. This severely symptomatic condition was complicated by very rare and life-threatening downhill varices of the upper esophagus, but without bleeding. To the best of our knowledge, this is the 1st report of this array of conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Hospital, 06100, Ankara, Turkey. nurcanbasar@gmail.com
authors.forename: Nurcan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Basar
authors.forename: Kumral
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cagli
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Basar
authors.forename: Nihat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: Ozgul Malcok
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Gurel
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Akpinar
authors.forename: Mehmet Fatih
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ozlu
authors.forename: Sarper
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okten
mesh_terms: D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D004945:Esophagoscopy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010690:Phlebography / Q000379:methods; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016312:Treatment Refusal; D056824:Upper Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*