Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis: Taking a Second Look at the Inferior Vena Cava in Trauma Patients

We present the case of a patient who fell from a 3-m height. He was bought to the emergency department and immediate resuscitative measures were taken. His GCS on presentation was 15, and the airway was patent and maintainable. Breathing was equal bilaterally, the blood pressure and capillary refill...

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Main Authors: Sara Hussain, Firas Al Najjar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Knowledge E 2020-10-01
Series:Dubai Medical Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/510872
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author Sara Hussain
Firas Al Najjar
author_facet Sara Hussain
Firas Al Najjar
author_sort Sara Hussain
collection DOAJ
description We present the case of a patient who fell from a 3-m height. He was bought to the emergency department and immediate resuscitative measures were taken. His GCS on presentation was 15, and the airway was patent and maintainable. Breathing was equal bilaterally, the blood pressure and capillary refill were established to be normal, and a bedside E-FAST scan was negative. He was found to have a dislocated left knee, with sensorineural loss distal to the injury. After the dislocation was reduced, a whole-body CT scan was performed and revealed an incidental finding of thrombus in the inferior vena cava (IVC). A thrombus in the IVC by itself is an uncommon complication among trauma patients, but among the cases noted in literature, most patients with an IVC thrombus had a slightly delayed presentation and it was usually discovered a few days after admission. Management of the thrombus depends on the stability of the patient’s presentation. When feasible, operative or otherwise invasive procedures can be delayed, allowing for the medical management of the thrombus. IVC filters may also be used, but their use may be limited due to anatomical restrictions, as in our case.
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spelling doaj.art-88c0a6bc424c42f0b0dda6f8dcf58b582025-01-02T00:29:26ZengKnowledge EDubai Medical Journal2571-726X2020-10-011410.1159/000510872510872Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis: Taking a Second Look at the Inferior Vena Cava in Trauma PatientsSara HussainFiras Al NajjarWe present the case of a patient who fell from a 3-m height. He was bought to the emergency department and immediate resuscitative measures were taken. His GCS on presentation was 15, and the airway was patent and maintainable. Breathing was equal bilaterally, the blood pressure and capillary refill were established to be normal, and a bedside E-FAST scan was negative. He was found to have a dislocated left knee, with sensorineural loss distal to the injury. After the dislocation was reduced, a whole-body CT scan was performed and revealed an incidental finding of thrombus in the inferior vena cava (IVC). A thrombus in the IVC by itself is an uncommon complication among trauma patients, but among the cases noted in literature, most patients with an IVC thrombus had a slightly delayed presentation and it was usually discovered a few days after admission. Management of the thrombus depends on the stability of the patient’s presentation. When feasible, operative or otherwise invasive procedures can be delayed, allowing for the medical management of the thrombus. IVC filters may also be used, but their use may be limited due to anatomical restrictions, as in our case.https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/510872inferior vena cavathrombustraumaemergencyinternal medicineradiologyvascular
spellingShingle Sara Hussain
Firas Al Najjar
Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis: Taking a Second Look at the Inferior Vena Cava in Trauma Patients
Dubai Medical Journal
inferior vena cava
thrombus
trauma
emergency
internal medicine
radiology
vascular
title Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis: Taking a Second Look at the Inferior Vena Cava in Trauma Patients
title_full Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis: Taking a Second Look at the Inferior Vena Cava in Trauma Patients
title_fullStr Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis: Taking a Second Look at the Inferior Vena Cava in Trauma Patients
title_full_unstemmed Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis: Taking a Second Look at the Inferior Vena Cava in Trauma Patients
title_short Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis: Taking a Second Look at the Inferior Vena Cava in Trauma Patients
title_sort inferior vena cava thrombosis taking a second look at the inferior vena cava in trauma patients
topic inferior vena cava
thrombus
trauma
emergency
internal medicine
radiology
vascular
url https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/510872
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