Major stroke in a 19-year-old patient with a univentricular heart

Abstract

Mads Riemann,1,2 Lars Idorn,3 Aase Wagner,4 Lars Søndergaard,3 Jørgen K Kanters1,21Department of Internal Medicine, Elsinore Hospital, Elsinore, Denmark; 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; 3Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Section 2014, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; 4Department of Radiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Section 3023, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, DenmarkAbstract: Patients with univentricular heart malformations are at increased risk of suffering from thromboembolic events. We present a case of a 19-year-old woman born with a univentricular heart who suffered a major stroke while being treated with only salicylic acid. At least 20% of patients with univentricular hearts have been reported to experience thromboembolic events, of which 25% are fatal. Despite the high incidence of thromboembolic events, no consensus has been reached regarding the role of long-term anti-thrombotic treatment in this group of patients. This lack of consensus warrants future studies that compare the different therapeutic strategies.Keywords: univentricle, stroke, antithrombotic treatment