Upper extremity deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism after coronary bypass surgery: a case report and preliminary results from a prospective study evaluating patients during cardiac rehabilitation.

A 78-year-old woman with unstable angina underwent coronary bypass surgery with complete cardiac revascularization and no immediate postoperative complications. Six days after surgery, during hospitalization for cardiac rehabilitation, the patient developed severe respiratory distress and pulmonary embolism was diagnosed. Color duplex ultrasound revealed the presence of concomitant upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (UEDVT), ipsilateral to the site of placement of a central venous line, in the absence of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis. We describe this case and provide preliminary data from a prospective observational study evaluating the prevalence of catheter-related UEDVT and symptomatic pulmonary embolism (55 and 1.4% respectively) in a series of 71 consecutive coronary bypass surgery patients admitted to a cardiac rehabilitation facility. Catheter-related UEDVT and pulmonary embolism may complicate coronary bypass surgery and should be taken into consideration when managing patients after surgery.