Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Oct;103(4):307-318.
doi: 10.1111/ejh.13284. Epub 2019 Jul 23.

Postsurgical thrombotic microangiopathy: Case series and review of the literature

Affiliations
Review

Postsurgical thrombotic microangiopathy: Case series and review of the literature

Meera Sridharan et al. Eur J Haematol. 2019 Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: Describe the clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes of postsurgical thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA).

Methods: In this retrospective study, records of individuals diagnosed with TMA developing within 30 days of a surgical procedure at Mayo Clinic from 2000 to 2016 were reviewed. Available literature regarding postsurgical TMA was comparatively reviewed.

Results: Twenty patients were diagnosed with TMA developing within 30 (median 6.5, range (1-28)) days) following a procedure. Preceding procedures included orthopedic (n = 4), vascular (n = 4), abdominal (n = 8), thoracic (n = 2), and other (n = 2). Review of the literature identified 65 patients with postsurgical TMA and cardiovascular procedures were the most common preceding surgery. The majority of patients in the current cohort and literature were treated with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). Among the evaluable patients in the current cohort, 100% demonstrated response to TPE; however, 25% required the addition of other therapy including eculizumab to maintain a response 80% of patients in the literature demonstrated a response to TPE.

Conclusions: Although rare, early recognition and treatment of postsurgical TMA can lead to good outcomes. More research is necessary to determine the underlying pathophysiology and optimal treatment for postsurgical TMA.

Keywords: eculizumab; plasma exchange; thrombocytopenia; thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. George JN, Nester CM. Syndromes of thrombotic microangiopathy. N Engl J Med. 2014;371(7):654-666.
    1. Amorosi EL, Ultmann JE. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: report of 16 cases and review of the literature. Medicine. 1966;45(2):139-160.
    1. Thejeel B, Garg AX, Clark WF, Liu AR, Iansavichus AV, Hildebrand AM. Long-term outcomes of thrombotic microangiopathy treated with plasma exchange: A systematic review. Am J Hematol. 2016;91(6):623-630.
    1. Scully M, Cataland S, Coppo P, et al. Consensus on the standardization of terminology in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and related thrombotic microangiopathies. J Thromb Haemost. 2017;15(2):312-322.
    1. Go RS, Winters JL, Leung N, et al. Thrombotic microangiopathy care pathway: a consensus statement for the mayo clinic complement alternative pathway-thrombotic microangiopathy (CAP-TMA) disease-oriented group. Mayo Clin Proc. 2016;91(9):1189-1211.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources