Objective
To report a single‐center experience with thrombolytic therapy using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt‐PA) in preterm neonates with severe thrombotic events, in terms of thrombus resolution and bleeding complications.
Study design
This retrospective study included 21 preterm neonates with severe venous thrombotic events admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, identified in our pharmacy database from January 2001 to December 2016, and treated with rt‐PA until complete or partial clot lysis, no‐response or bleeding complications. Our primary outcome was thrombus resolution.
Results
Twenty‐one preterm neonates were treated with rt‐PA for an average of 2.9 cycles. Seventeen patients (80.9%) had superior vena cava thrombosis and superior vena cava syndrome. All patients had a central venous catheter, parenteral nutrition, mechanical ventilation, and sepsis. Fifteen patients (71.4%) were extremely preterm, 11 (52.4%) were extremely low birth weight, and seven (33.3%) were very low birth weight. The patency rate was 85.7%, complete lysis occurred in 11 (52.4%) patients, and partial lysis in seven (33.3%). Minor bleeding occurred in five (23.8%) patients, three patients (14.2%) had clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding events, and major bleeding occurred in six (28%) patients.
Conclusion
In this study, the rate of thrombus resolution in preterm neonates treated with rt‐PA were similar to the percentages reported in children and adolescents, with a high rate of bleeding. Therefore, rt‐PA thrombolytic therapy should only be considered as a treatment option for severe life‐threatening thrombosis in premature neonates for whom the benefits of the thrombolytic treatment outweigh the risks of bleeding.
Background
Kidney transplantation is the gold standard treatment for children with end‐stage chronic kidney disease. Graft thrombosis is an important cause of graft failure, with high morbidity, mortality, and impact on quality of life and to the health system. The role of thromboprophylaxis in this setting is still uncertain. We describe the demographic characteristics and thrombotic risk factors in pediatric renal transplant recipients, determining the rate of renal graft thrombosis, and discuss the role of thromboprophylaxis.
Methods
This retrospective study reviewed 96 pediatric renal transplantations between 2008 and 2017 in a single hospital. Patients were assigned to one of two groups: children who did not receive thromboprophylaxis after transplantation and those who did. We reported their characteristics, comparing the incidence of graft thrombosis and hemorrhagic complications between the groups.
Results
Forty‐nine patients (51%) received thromboprophylaxis. Thrombosis occurred in 5 patients who did not receive thromboprophylaxis (5.2%) compared with none in the group that did (p = .025). In all patients, renal graft thrombosis resulted in early graft loss. Thirteen patients had hemorrhagic complications. Seven were unrelated to pharmacological thromboprophylaxis (2 major, 1 moderate, and 4 minor bleeding, which either did not receive thromboprophylaxis or had bleeding prior to thromboprophylaxis), while six occurred during heparinization (2 major, 1 moderate, and 3 minor bleeding). There was no significant difference in the rate of hemorrhagic complications between the groups (p = .105).
Conclusions
The rate of renal graft thrombosis was 5.2%. Thrombosis remains an important cause of early graft loss. Thromboprophylaxis was associated with a reduction in graft thrombosis without increased risk of bleeding.
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