Pulmonary artery thrombosis. Clinical cases

Accumulating evidence supports the need to consider pulmonary artery thrombosis the separate thrombotic complication, which requires its own treatment algorithms.

The aim of the work is to demonstrate the pulmonary artery thrombosis clinical aspects and the effect of the standard thrombotic prophylactic algorithms with clinical examples.

Clinical cases of patients with pulmonary artery thrombosis are presented. Pulmonary artery thrombosis is considered to be the thrombotic obstruction of the pulmonary artery branches in the absence of venous and cardiac chambers thrombosis.

Patient S. with COVID-19 and 75% of lung involvement was treated in the accordance with the actual COVID-19 treatment recommendations. Enoxaparin sodium 6000 IE once a day followed by the increasing dosage of 8000 IE twice a day was used. To prevent exacerbation tocilizumab was infused, and systemic thrombolytic therapy was performed. On the 6th day after systemic thrombolytic therapy patient died. Examination revealed thrombi in the pulmonary artery branches.

Patient P. with continued growth of cerebral left frontoparietal region glioblastoma was hospitalized. Surgical tumor removal was performed a year ago. Conservative therapy, dexamethasone injections and anticoagulant prophylaxis (enoxaparin sodium 4000 IE once a day) were prescribed. After the patient death thrombi were found in the pulmonary artery segmental branches.

Outpatient D. had a history of four episodes of dyspnea during the acute respiratory diseases. Computed tomography performed at the time of the third and fourth episodes revealed thrombi in the pulmonary artery segmental branches. The fourth episode occured despite anticoagulant prophylaxis with rivaroxaban (10 mg once a day). Patient was recommended to switch to low molecular weight heparins in case of any disease. There have been no recurrent episodes over the past 8 months.

Distinctive features of pulmonary artery thrombosis pathogenesis determine the development of the complication despite anticoagulant prophylaxis. Preventive effect of anti-inflammatory drugs on the pulmonary artery thrombosis development has not been demonstrated.