Systemic thrombolytic therapy after recent abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: an absolute contraindication?

Systemic thrombolysis in the early postoperative period can cause fatal hemorrhage. Systemic thrombolysis is often considered contraindicated after major vascular procedures; thus, experience with this scenario is limited. A 67-year-old man experienced massive pulmonary embolization after his abdominal aortic aneurysm was repaired with a bifurcated, woven Dacron graft. Because systemic thrombolysis was the only option for our patient's survival, he underwent this procedure with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator just 2 weeks after the Dacron graft repair of his abdominal aortic aneurysm. After clinical stabilization, abdominal and pelvic computed tomography showed no periprosthetic graft hemorrhage. The successful systemic thrombolysis suggests that this therapy may prove useful in extreme situations.