We report the surgical procedure which was adopted in two patients exhibiting thrombosis of mechanical prosthesis, a rare procedure and unprecedent in our Institution. A 19 years old male patient with a history of rheumatic fever in childhood, who had been submitted to two mitro-aortic substitutions, two metalic prostheses, having been introduced in the last surgery, which occurred in 1988. The patient, having of his own free will discontinued taking the anticoagulant, was admitted into the Emergency Department whith a condition of acute pulmonary oedema, with a diagnosis of thrombosis of the prosthesis. He was directed to the Surgical Centre where surgical depletion of the prosthesis was opted for, thus reducing the period of extracorporeal circulation of the patient in an extemely critical condition. Another patient, a two and a half years old female with a diagnosis of mitral insufficiency resulting from mixomatous degeneration, underwent mitral valve substitution for a mechanical prosthesis, on October 13, 1992. Despite satisfactory anticoagulation, the patient exhibited thrombosis of the prosthesis on January 12, 1993, and was also submitted to surgical thrombectomy. Both patients presented satisfactory pastoperative evolution. Three months following the thrombectomy, the second above mentioned patient exhibited a further acute thrombosis, which was followed by sucessful streptokinase. Surgical thrombectomy could be a satisfactory surgical option in high risk surgical patients exhibiting thrombi in metal prosthesis.
heart valves prostheses; heart valves prostheses