Hemolysis after percutaneous paravalvular leak repair.

Paravalvular leak is a common complication after surgical mitral valve replacement. Surgically implanted prosthetic valves are complicated with paravalvular leaks in 17%.(1) Surgical closure of paravalvular leaks is the most common therapy for these defects. Percutaneous closure is an alternative to repeat surgery for a selected high-risk population. We present a case of a patient who developed severe haemolytic anaemia and secondary renal failure after partially successful percutaneous closure of paravalvular leakage of a prosthetic mitral valve. The assumption is that the combination of a metallic foreign body and high shear stress caused haemolysis by damaging red blood cells.