Transesophageal Echocardiographic Diagnosis of Acute Atrioventricular Valve Thrombosis in a Patient with a Single Ventricle Undergoing Implantation of a Ventricular Assist Device.

Mechanical valve thrombosis is a severe complication of valve replacement associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality. The main factors that predispose patients to thrombus formation include endothelial injury or dysfunction, hypercoagulability, and hemodynamic changes. Other contributing factors include level of anticoagulation, tricuspid valve replacement, bacteremia, and certain patient comorbidities. Early diagnosis of thrombus could prevent adverse patient outcomes. We describe the use of transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of acute thrombus in a patient with a recently replaced single atrioventricular valve.