Abstract
Femoral pseudoaneurysm is a complication of cardiac catheterization and may be related
to the use of anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, larger diameter sheaths and prolonged
duration of sheath insertion. The treatment ranges from direct compression with or
without direct thrombin injection to surgical repair. The present report describes
a unique scenario of postcardiac catheterization femoral artery pseudoaneursym in
a patient with a pre-existing mechanical mitral valve requiring anticoagulation. The
potential systemic effects of thrombin made the patient reluctant to undergo treatment
and made thrombin administration a challenging proposition. The present report suggests
that thrombin injection for treating femoral pseudoaneursym in patients with mechanical
heart valves on chronic anticoagulation can be performed safely.
