Vol 16, No 2 (2021)
Case report
Published online: 2021-04-30
Severe chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in a patient after splenectomy for hereditary spherocytosis: the need for long-term surveillance and closer cooperation between haematologists and cardiologists
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DOI: 10.5603/FC.2021.0015
Folia Cardiol 2021;16(2):130-133.
Abstract
We present the case of a 34-year-old female patient with severe pulmonary hypertension diagnosed > 15 years after splenectomy to emphasize the need to monitor patients after splenectomy for the development of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The lack of screening tests for this group of patients, as in the described case, resulted in a serious clinical condition of the patient at the time of diagnosis. Without specialized treatment, the probability of her survival at 5 years was only 10%. Close collaboration between haematologists and cardiologists is mandatory in the management of post-splenectomy patients Life-long surveillance is needed in these patients due to the risk of CTEPH. The development of a screening program for post-splenectomy patients is required.
Keywords: chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertensionCTEPHpulmonary hypertensionPHsplenectomy
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