Low Cardiac Output Due to Left Main Coronary Embolism During Mitral Valve Replacement

Abstract A 55-year-old woman underwent elective mitral valve replacement due to severe rheumatic mitral valve stenosis. After valve replacement with a mechanical prosthesis, the patient failed to wean from the cardiopulmonary bypass. An aortotomy was performed and thrombotic embolic material was removed from the left coronary ostia with a Fogarty catheter allowing for successful discontinuation from cardiopulmonary bypass. Peripheral emboli are a known complication in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery for rheumatic mitral stenosis. In this report, we describe the case of a patient who sustained an intraoperative coronary embolus during a mitral valve replacement for rheumatic mitral stenosis. (J Card Surg 2010;25:658-660)