MEDizzy - A 55-year-old m an complained to his physician of red blood

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Drugs Affecting Hemostasis-1

A 55-year-old m an complained to his physician of red blood in his stools and pink urine. Two weeks earlier, the m an had started a treatment with warfarin for recurrent deep vein thrombosis. On physical examination, the patient appear pale and diaphoretic. Vital signs were blood pressure 85/55 m m Hg, heart rate 105 bpm , respirations 20/m in. An appropriate therapy was started. Which of the following drugs was most likely administered intravenously to the patient?

Explanationd The symptoms of the patient strongly suggest a hemorrhagic com plication of warfarin therapy. The standard treatment of warfarin overdose would be vitamin K, but the patient is diaphoretic and hypotensive, suggesting that bleeding is life- threatening. In this case, the action of vitamin K is too slow to be useful (onset is delayed for 6 hours and is complete by 24 hours). Fresh frozen plasma (which contains prothrombin and factors VII, IX, and X) or activated clotting factors should be administered in case of severe acute bleeding due to anticoagulant therapy.