Catheter related atrial thrombus caused by Abiotrophia defectiva: A case series and review of literature.

Catheter related atrial thrombus (CRAT) is a devastating complication associated with tunneled hemodialysis catheter. Abiotrophia defectiva is a rare fastidious pathogen implicated predominantly in culture negative infective endocarditis. Here we report three cases of CRAT in maintenance hemodialysis patients with variable clinical presentation caused by Abiotrophia defectiva. Video assisted thoracoscopic retrieval of atrial thrombus is a novel technique which is scarcely reported in medical literature for surgical management of large atrial thrombus. Our cases were managed by timely administration of antibiotics and anticoagulants followed by surgical retrieval of atrial thrombus with removal of tunneled dialysis catheter. This case series illustrates the importance of prompt diagnosis, appropriate anticoagulation with antibiotics, and mini-invasive surgical removal of atrial thrombus for the management of CRAT.

Recurrence of ANCA-negative renal-limited pauci-immune glomerulonephritis in the renal allograft.

Renal transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis (PICGN). A small subgroup of patients with PICGN are anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) negative. We report a case of a patient with ANCA-negative renal-limited form of PICGN who developed ESRD despite treatment. He underwent live-related renal allograft transplantation after 12 months on haemodialysis. In the eighth post-transplant month, he developed graft dysfunction, which on evaluation turned out to be a graft recurrence of the basic disease in the form of PICGN. He received treatment with methylprednisolone, cyclophosphamide and plasmapheresis. However, his renal functions did not improve and he developed graft loss in the 11th post-transplant month and was started on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. We report a rare recurrence of renal-limited PICGN in the allograft. Patients with PICGN undergoing renal transplantation should be followed up carefully, and an early biopsy should be performed in the case of graft dysfunction to deal with this potentially graft-threatening complication.