Rapid Restoration of Thrombus Formation and High-Molecular-Weight von Willebrand Factor Multimers in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis After Valve Replacement

• DOI: 10.5551/jat.34421
• Publication Date: 2016-04-04T22:05:04Z
• Authors: Keigo Yamashita; Hideo Yagi; Masaki Hayakawa; Takehisa Abe; Yoshihiro Hayata; Naoko Yamaguchi; Mitsuhiko Sugimoto; Yoshihiro Fujimura; Masanori Matsumoto; Shigeki Taniguchi
• Keywords: Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; Male; ADAMTS13 Protein; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Thrombosis; Aortic Valve Stenosis; Molecular Weight; 03 medical and health sciences; Postoperative Complications; 0302 clinical medicine; Echocardiography; Aortic Valve; Heart Valve Prosthesis; von Willebrand Factor; Humans; Original Article; Female; Biomarkers; Aged

Patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) may have bleeding episodes due to the loss of high-molecular-weight (HMW) von Willebrand factor multimers (VWFMs). The absence of HMW-VWFMs and bleeding tendency are usually corrected after aortic valve replacement (AVR). To investigate the process of VWFM recovery and symptoms in patients with severe AS, we analyzed changes in VWF antigen (VWF:Ag), ADAMTS13 activity (ADAMTS13:AC), and platelet thrombus formation under high shear stress conditions.Nine patients with severe AS undergoing AVR were analyzed.Evident deficiency of HMW-VWFMs was observed in six patients before surgery, which was rapidly restored within 8 days after AVR. Median levels of VWF:Ag before surgery, on postoperative days (PODs) 1, 8, 15, and 22, and one year after AVR were 78.1%, 130%, 224%, 155%, 134%, and 142%, respectively. In contrast, ADAMTS13:AC was 50.5%, 35.5%, 25.5%, 25.1%, 30.3%, and 84.6%, respectively. Preoperative thrombus formation but not surface coverage was significantly lower than that on POD 22, which was considered as normal level in each patient. Compared with preoperative levels, thrombus volume was significantly lower on POD 1, but rapidly increased by POD 8.Bleeding tendency and loss of HMW-VWFMs observed in patients with severe AS before surgery was rapidly corrected after AVR. Instead, patients were in a VWF-predominant state between POD 8 and 22.