Atraumatic Splenic Rupture after Myocardial Infarction.

Abstract

Atraumatic splenic rupture is a rare but potentially life-threatening event. It mostly happens when the spleen is already diseased; however, sometimes it can be drug induced in a previously normal spleen. Although anticoagulation has been attributed to spontaneous splenic rupture quite frequently, the role of dual antiplatelet therapy is underestimated. We report a case of an 80-year-old woman who developed spontaneous splenic rupture 4 weeks after starting dual antiplatelet therapy.

LEARNING POINTS:

Atraumatic or spontaneous splenic rupture can be life threatening.Various drugs, including granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (GCSF) and anticoagulants, can result in atraumatic splenic rupture in a previously normal spleen.Dual antiplatelet therapy can also cause splenic rupture in a previously normal spleen. It can occur as early as a few weeks after initiation of treatment.

• Authors: Muhammad Fahad Arshad, Nasir Javed, Syed Monawer Karim, Ehtasham Ahmad, Noor Ul Ain Abid
• Journal: European journal of case reports in internal medicine (Eur J Case Rep Intern Med) Vol. 5 Issue 4 Pg. 000827 ( 2018) ISSN: 2284-2594 [Electronic] Italy
• PMID: 30756025 (Publication Type: Journal Article)