TITLE:
Spontaneous Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia Following Orthopaedic Surgery: Case Report and Review of the Literature
AUTHORS:
Malcolm R. DeBaun, Michael A. Spinner, Michael D. Genualdi, Caroline Berube, Derek F. Amanatullah
KEYWORDS:
Spontaneous Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia, HIT, Arthroplasty, Total Knee Arthroplasty, TKA
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Orthopedics,
Vol.7 No.12,
December
5,
2017
ABSTRACT: Background: Spontaneous heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a medical phenomenon
whereby patients develop clinical and laboratory features of HIT without prior
exposure to heparin. Aim: We present a patient who underwent bilateral
total knee replacement complicated by spontaneous HIT causing bilateral adrenal
hemorrhage and deep vein thrombosis. Our patient had no prior history of
heparin exposure. We reconcile our patient’s presentation with other case
reports of spontaneous HIT in patients who had orthopaedic surgery. Conclusion: Spontaneous HIT is a rare but potentially devastating complication associated
with total knee arthroplasty.