Treatment of Acute Lower Limb Ischemia Following the Use of the Duett Sealing Device: Report of Three Cases and Review of the Literature

Three cases of local thrombolysis in the treatment of acute lower limb ischemia complicating the utilization of the Duett sealing device are presented. Routine usage of several vascular closure devices after cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been adopted in our institution during the last 3 years (September 1999 to April 2003). The Duett closure device has been used in 420 patients (post-coronary angiography, 359; post-PCI, 61). Three patients (0.7%) demonstrated acute leg ischemia caused by inadvertent intravascular administration of the sealing material related to this device. All three were treated successfully by catheter-directed local thrombolysis (tissue plasminogen activator 5 mg bolus followed initially by 1 mg/hr and consequently by 0.5–1.0 mg/hr depending upon the development of significant hematoma and lasting for 24 hr). In conclusion, interventional treatment using local thrombolysis should be the first-line treatment in acute lower limb ischemia complicating the utilization of the Duett sealing device.