Hereditary Angioedema is a rare disease caused by C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency leading to diffuse and potentially life-threatening oedema formation. Preventing attacks is critical, particularly for patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
In this report a case of a 71-years-old woman with a history of Hereditary Angioedema scheduled for open-heart surgery on Cardiopulmonary Bypass is described. Multidisciplinar teamwork and patient-targeted strategy are crucial to obtain a favorable outcome.
Cardiac surgery is a major stressor for Angioedema attacks because of Complement cascade and inflammatory response activation leading to potential life-threatening oedema formation. In literature only few cases of complex open heart surgery under Cardiopulmonary Bypass are described.
Continuous updating and multidisciplinarity are key elements to manage patients with Hereditary Angioedema in cardiac surgery in order to reduce morbidity and mortality. Read the full article here.