Hydrophilic polymer microemboli in a patient with a chronic cutaneous ulcer: a case report |
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| Authors: | Sepehr Hamidi Ryan Stevens Brittney DeClerck Gene H. Kim |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, , Los Angeles, CA, USA;2. Department of Dermatology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, , Los Angeles, CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Hydrophilic polymer coatings were designed to reduce friction between the catheter and vessel wall and facilitate intravascular manipulations during catheterization and placement of drug‐eluting stents. One newly reported complication of such hydrophilic coatings is the fragmentation and embolization of the polymer, which can lead to ischemia and infarct by blocking the small vasculature. In this report, we present a patient with a non‐healing ulcer on the leg. Biopsy from the ulcer revealed the presence of hydrophilic polymer emboli within the dermal vessels. This is one of the few reports of such a complication involving the skin. Our objective is to emphasize the histopathologic features of this uncommon iatrogenic phenomenon. |
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| Keywords: | cardiac catheterization foreign body hydrophilic polymer emboli iatrogenic disease intravascular devices |
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