Heart 2000;83:e5
( April )
Electronic pages: case report
Acute severe thrombocytopenia after treatment with ReoPro
(abciximab)
R Butler, P J B Hubner
Departmentt of
Cardiology, Glenfield Hospital, Groby Road, Leicester LE3 9QP, UK
Correspondence to: Dr Butler
email: r.butler{at}btinternet.com
Accepted 1 November
1999
ReoPro (abciximab) is an extremely potent
inhibitor of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor, the final common
pathway of platelet activation and aggregation. Its main role is the
maintenance of coronary patency after suboptimal results with coronary
intervention. However, one of the complications of this treatment is
excessive bleeding, a problem which may be compounded by a rare
idiosyncratic thrombocytopenic reaction. A severe episode of
thrombocytopenia in a 64 year old man is described; he was treated with
ReoPro for a right coronary stenosis which had not been resolved by
angioplasty. His platelet level dropped quickly and only improved after
20 units of platelets were given.
Keywords:
ReoPro;
abciximab;
platelets;
thrombocytopenia;
interventional cardiology
© 2000 by Heart
