[Use of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in occluding thrombosis of a Hickman catheter after bone marrow transplantation: clinical and coagulation physiologic aspects]

A 12 year-old female patient suffering from multifocal Ewing's Sarcoma underwent bone marrow transplantation in March 1992. The donor was the patient's HLA-identical brother. On day 38 following BMT, an occluding catheter thrombosis of the superior vena cava was diagnosed. Lysis therapy using rt-PA was initiated. During therapy, serious bleeding occurred and administration was temporarily discontinued. Normalisation of previously high fibrinogen levels during an acute phase reaction was seen concomitantly with systemic fibrin and probably also fibrinogen fragments as demonstrated using the Western blot technique. Lysis therapy resulted in regained catheter patency, while thrombosis of the superior vena cava persisted. The reduction in the need for the transfusion of packed thrombocytes following lysis was seen as being a positive result. The use of rt-PA following BMT should be carefully weighed against the risks and requires careful patient observation. Due to the systemic fibrinolytic and fibrinogenolytic effects combined with mucositis and thrombocytopenia as a result of transplantation therapy, a high risk of bleeding complications seems likely.