Acute defects of hemostasis

Coagulopathies are common in intensive therapy units (ITUs) and may represent both the cause and the consequence of a critically ill status. Because coagulopathies are associated with increased complications in terms of both increased ischemic and bleeding events, the prevention, assessment, and treatment of these clinical conditions are important issues to be considered in the ITU. In this review, we explore the pathophysiological mechanisms, discuss the most common causes, and provide practical recommendations on the assessment and treatment of coagulopathies in the ITU...

More patients than ever are presenting for urgent or emergent procedures while therapeutically anticoagulated for various medical indications. Medications including warfarin, antiplatelet agents such as clopidogrel, direct oral anticoagulants such as apixaban, and even heparin or heparinoids may be present. Each of these medication classes presents its own challenges when coagulopathy needs to be quickly corrected. This review article presents evidence-based discussions of monitoring and reversal of these medication-induced coagulopathies...

INTRODUCTION: Over the last decade, tranexamic acid (TXA) has been incorporated into treatment algorithms for a multitude of emergent conditions and the evidence surrounding its role in emergency medicine continues to evolve. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this literature review is to provide an evidence-based approach to the utilization of TXA in the emergency department. DISCUSSION: The most robust trials suggest TXA may offer a modest improvement in mortality in patients at risk of significant bleeding from trauma, but is not beneficial in spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage or gastrointestinal bleeding...

During the last decade, utilization of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) has increased due to their pharmacokinetic profile and the fact that they are non-inferior to warfarin in the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, as well as for the treatment of venous thromboembolism. However, there are few studies about their use in critically ill patients. This article aims to review available evidence on the use of DOACs in the indicated conditions and anticoagulant management of medical or surgical patients receiving DOAC before intensive care unit (ICU) admission...

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have revolutionized the field of anticoagulation in the last decade, mainly due to their fixed dosing, rapid onset of anticoagulant effect, and non-inferiority to vitamin K antagonists for both efficacy and safety. Also, the availability of specific and non-specific reversal agents makes these drugs popular. However, in critically ill patients, significant alterations in drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics might occur due to various ongoing pathophysiological derangements like decreased gastrointestinal absorption, increased volume of distribution, and impaired renal and/or hepatic function...

The prevention and management of bleeding and thrombosis in patients with cirrhosis poses several difficult clinical questions. These Clinical Practice Guidelines have been developed to provide practical guidance on debated topics, including current views on haemostasis in liver disease, controversy regarding the need to correct thrombocytopenia and abnormalities in the coagulation system in patients undergoing invasive procedures, and the need for thromboprophylaxis in hospitalised patients with haemostatic abnormalities...

An increasing number of patients are on anticoagulation for a variety of indications. Patients on anticoagulation who present to the hospital with life-threatening hemorrhage, whether trauma related or not, must be assessed for the reversal of anticoagulation. Identification of the type of anticoagulation, the timing of the most recent usage of anticoagulation, and the efficacy of the anticoagulation all have an impact on whether reversal agents should be used. There are a variety of reversal agents, both nonspecific and specific, that could be used for reversal; however, not all reversal agents work for all anticoagulation medication...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patients admitted to ICUs are a heterogeneous group, displaying multiple anaemia risk factors and comorbidities. Clinicians should therefore take all possible measures to identify modifiable risks. Patient Blood Management (PBM) is an approach promoting the timely application of evidence-based interventions designed to maintain patients own blood mass. RECENT FINDINGS: Within ICU-patients, anaemia is highly prevalent. Generally, anaemia is associated with impaired outcome and need of blood transfusion...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Major trauma remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide with traumatic brain injury and uncontrolled traumatic bleeding as the main determinants of fatal outcome. Interestingly, the therapeutic approach to trauma-associated bleeding and coagulopathy shows differences between geographic regions, that are reflected in different guidelines and protocols. RECENT FINDINGS: This article summarizes main principles in coagulation diagnostics and compares different strategies for treatment of massive hemorrhage after trauma in different regions of the world...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Posttraumatic bleeding following major trauma is life threatening for the patient and remains a major global health issue. Bleeding after major trauma is worsened by trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC). TIC consists of acute trauma coagulopathy and resuscitation coagulopathy. The early diagnosis and management of prehospital TIC management are challenging. RECENT FINDINGS: Concepts for early diagnosis and management of civilian prehospital TIC management are evolving...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiological processes associated with traumatic haemorrhage and trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) have resulted in improved outcomes for seriously injured trauma patients. However, a significant number of trauma patients still die from haemorrhage. This article reviews the role of fibrinogen in normal haemostasis, the effect of trauma and TIC on fibrinogen levels and current evidence for fibrinogen replacement in the management of traumatic haemorrhage...

PURPOSE: In this Continuing Professional Development module, we review the practical pharmacology of tranexamic acid and its clinical use in trauma, obstetrics, and major orthopedic surgery. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Tranexamic acid is a synthetic drug that inhibits fibrinolysis. Multiple clinical trials in various clinical settings have shown that it can reduce blood loss, transfusion rates, and bleeding-associated mortality. In trauma and obstetrical bleeding, early tranexamic acid administration (< three hours) may have greater clinical benefits...

BACKGROUND: Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating complication for patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs). The safety of emergent anticoagulation reversal with four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) and optimal timing of anticoagulation resumption are not clear. In addition, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is used as a biomarker for thromboembolic risk, but its utility in guiding anticoagulation management after reversal with PCC has not be described. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of patients with VADs presenting with ICH between 2014 and 2020 who received four-factor PCC for rapid anticoagulation reversal...

BACKGROUND: Coagulopathy in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with increased risk of poor outcomes, but accurate prediction of clinically significant progressive hemorrhagic injury (PHI) in patients with severe TBI remains a challenge. Thromboelastography (TEG) is a real-time test of whole blood coagulation that provides dynamic information about global hemostasis. This study aimed to identify differences in TEG values between patients with severe TBI who did or did not experience clinically significant PHI...

Bleeding is the most common complication of anticoagulant use. The evaluation and management of the bleeding patient is a core competency of emergency medicine. As the prevalence of patients receiving anticoagulant agents and variety of anticoagulants with different mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics, indications, and corresponding reversal agents increase, physicians and other clinicians working in the emergency department require a current and nuanced understanding of how best to assess, treat, and reverse anticoagulated patients...

Introduction . Antithrombin is a serpin that inhibits multiple procoagulant serine proteases and acts as an endogenous anticoagulant. Thus, congenital antithrombin deficiency constitutes a major thrombophilic state, the most severe so far. Areas covered . In the present work, we globally review the biology, genetics, diagnosis, and management of congenital antithrombin deficiency, and also discuss puzzling questions and future perspectives regarding this severe inherited thrombophilia. Expert opinion . Although this disorder exerts high clinical heterogeneity, many carriers will need careful and long-term anticoagulation and/or thromboprophylaxis, especially in high-risk situations, such as surgery and pregnancy...

Diagnosis of inherited bleeding disorders (IBDs) remains challenging, especially in the case of inherited platelet disorders, due to the heterogeneity of the clinical and laboratory phenotype, the limited specificity of platelet function tests, and the large number of potential culprit genes. Unraveling the underlying molecular defect provides the definitive diagnosis of IBDs, facilitating prognosis and clinical care, which are especially important for severe clinical syndromes and those that may be associated with an increased risk of malignancy...

The authors provide a narrative review of mainstream hemostasis analyzers. The review is presented in two parts. In the first part, the authors give voice to several internationally representative manufacturers of mainstream hemostasis analyzers. They ask these manufacturers to (1) answer a series of survey questions that may otherwise reflect common questions asked by users or potential users of their equipment, (2) provide a bullet list of their main focus areas, and (3) provide other information in regard to their instrumentation...

Intraoperative blood and coagulation factor transfusion is of particular importance to neurosurgeons. Maintaining the hematologic and coagulation parameters of the patient within normal limits during surgery is critical to facilitate normal hemostasis, reduce transfusion requirements, and prevent complications associated with excessive blood loss. In this article, the authors review topics relevant to intraoperative transfusion during neurosurgery, including laboratory studies and other diagnostic modalities available to help with decision making, blood components and coagulation factors currently available for transfusion, and indications for intraoperative transfusion during cranial and spinal neurosurgical procedures...

The actively bleeding anticoagulated patient presenting to the emergency department requires rapid evaluation and treatment, which is made increasingly complicated by the ever-evolving antithrombotic treatment options used in medicine. Even with excellent supportive care, the timeliness with which reversal decisions need to be made continues to demand of the emergency practitioner a familiarity with the properties and general characteristics of a variety of antithrombotic agents. Reversal options vary and may include vitamin K, FFP, PCC, rFVIIa, platelets, and desmopressin, among others...