Management of thrombocytopenia in a patient with a mechanical mitral valve undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: case report and review of literature.

Mechanical mitral valves require life-long anticoagulation with Vitamin K Antagonists (VKA), targeted to an international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.5-3.5. While complications, including valve thrombosis and bleeding, are well known, there is a paucity of data on the management of mechanical mitral valves in patients with thrombocytopenia. Due to an increased bleeding risk, the presence of a mechanical mitral valve is considered by some providers as an exclusion criterion for autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). Presented here is a case of a patient with multiple myeloma who successfully underwent autologous HSCT with simultaneous alterations in VKA therapy for continued anticoagulation in the setting of an underlying mechanical mitral valve.