Abstract
Surgicel, an absorbable haemostat, is widely used in cardiovascular surgery. An 81-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with ischaemic mitral regurgitation, underwent mitral valve plasty and coronary artery bypass grafting. On postoperative day two, her superior vena cava (SVC) pressure gradually rose to 38 mmHg and she developed low output syndrome. Emergent surgery revealed that the cause of SVC syndrome was external compression from a haematoma at the posterior surface of the SVC, which formed around the Surgicel.
Highlights
Haemostatic agents are quite useful in almost all surgeries
We report a case of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome due to compression by an haematoma formed around swollen Surgicel
Surgicel is often left in surgical sites for effective postoperative haemostasis, previous reports have revealed that a swollen Surgicel can compress and obstruct the function of neighbouring organs
Summary
Haemostatic agents are quite useful in almost all surgeries. An absorbable haemostat is effective in controlling oozing of suture lines or stripped surfaces. Surgicel (Ethicon, North Ryde, NSW, Australia), an absorbable sheet of oxidized cellulose polyanhydroglucuronic acid polymer, has been used in numerous cardiovascular surgeries; recent reports have revealed that Surgicel can disturb organ function in several contexts [1-4]. We report a case of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome due to compression by an haematoma formed around swollen Surgicel. Case presentation An 81-year-old Japanese woman had long been followed for chronic heart failure. She complained of dyspnoea during light exercise that was gradually worsening. The patient underwent mitral valve plasty (MVP) and coronary artery.
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