The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 58, 1762-1764, Copyright © 1994 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Removal of an infected right atrial mass in a patient with sickle cell disease
WD Spotnitz, JM Dent, PD Mintz, NL Erickson, RE Fechner and MA Groh
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
The use of indwelling central catheters for hyperalimentation,
chemotherapy, and long-term venous access is increasing. We report the
successful removal of an infected right atrial mass associated with the use
of a central catheter in an adult with sickle cell disease. The clinical
options for the treatment of infected atrial thrombus as well as the
challenge of performing cardiopulmonary bypass in patients with sickle cell
disease are briefly discussed.