title: Rapid Restoration of Thrombus Formation and High-Molecular-Weight von Willebrand Factor Multimers in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis After Valve Replacement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) may have bleeding episodes due to the loss of high-molecular-weight (HMW) von Willebrand factor multimers (VWFMs). The absence of HMW-VWFMs and bleeding tendency are usually corrected after aortic valve replacement (AVR). To investigate the process of VWFM recovery and symptoms in patients with severe AS, we analyzed changes in VWF antigen (VWF:Ag), ADAMTS13 activity (ADAMTS13:AC), and platelet thrombus formation under high shear stress conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine patients with severe AS undergoing AVR were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Evident deficiency of HMW-VWFMs was observed in six patients before surgery, which was rapidly restored within 8 days after AVR. Median levels of VWF:Ag before surgery, on postoperative days (PODs) 1, 8, 15, and 22, and one year after AVR were 78.1%, 130%, 224%, 155%, 134%, and 142%, respectively. In contrast, ADAMTS13:AC was 50.5%, 35.5%, 25.5%, 25.1%, 30.3%, and 84.6%, respectively. Preoperative thrombus formation but not surface coverage was significantly lower than that on POD 22, which was considered as normal level in each patient. Compared with preoperative levels, thrombus volume was significantly lower on POD 1, but rapidly increased by POD 8.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bleeding tendency and loss of HMW-VWFMs observed in patients with severe AS before surgery was rapidly corrected after AVR. Instead, patients were in a VWF-predominant state between POD 8 and 22.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Nara Medical University.
authors.forename: Keigo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: Takehisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayata
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Mitsuhiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujimura
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
mesh_terms: D000071120:ADAMTS13 Protein / Q000097:blood*; D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004452:Echocardiography; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D000071120:ADAMTS13 Protein