B. Balestra et al., CHOLESTEROL EMBOLISM - A HEAVY PRICE TO P AY AFTER FIBRINOLYSIS, Schweizerische medizinische Wochenschrift, 124(45), 1994, pp. 2046-2048
We attribute a case of acute irreversible renal failure associated wit
h ''blue toe syndrome'' and eosinophilia to a cholesterol embolism aft
er ''successful'' treatment of myocardial infarction with fibrinolysis
. This case shows that CE can be caused not only by invasive arterial
procedures but also by thrombolytic as well as by anticoagulatory trea
tment. In modern medicine, the importance of this often fatal but usua
lly undetected systemic affection is increasing. For patients with ser
ious atherosclerosis it is essential to analyze the risks and benefits
before undertaking arterial invasive procedures or fibrinolysis.