Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is regarded as a high hemorrhagic risk condition, and the management of anticoagulation and heart surgery in these patients can be challenging. The authors describe a combined percutaneous treatment of mitral regurgitation and left atrial appendage occlusion in a patient affected by hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and atrial fibrillation, supporting the safety and feasibility of the procedure and the optimal short-term outcome.
Keywords: MitraClip; atrial fibrillation; hemostasis; hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia; interventional; left atrial appendage occlusion; mitral regurgitation.
Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is a disease that carries a high risk of bleeding because of the growth of blood vessels with weak walls. The authors describe the case of a patient with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia needing an intervention for mitral valve regurgitation and anticoagulation therapy for atrial fibrillation. To reduce the bleeding risk, two innovative techniques were used: the mitral valve disease was treated with the percutaneous implantation of stitches without open chest surgery and the left atrial appendage was contextually occluded thanks to another mini-invasive procedure to avoid the need for anticoagulation.