Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage secondary to warfarin therapy for atrial fibrillation: a case report and literature review

Alveolar haemorrhage is a rare and serious medical emergency with many causes. Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage due to warfarin therapy has been rarely reported in the literature. In this paper, we describe the case of 62-year-old woman with a history of chronic atrial fibrillation treated with warfarin...

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Published inBMJ case reports Vol. 2009; no. mar08 1; p. bcr0820080757
Main Authors Waness, Abdelkarim, Aldabbagh, Tarek, Harakati, Mohammed
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 2009
BMJ Publishing Group
SeriesUnexpected outcome (positive or negative) including adverse drug reactions
Subjects
Anticoagulants
Bronchoscopy
Cardiac arrhythmia
Dyspnea
Female
Hemorrhage
Lupus
Medical personnel
Middle East
Pneumonia
Respiratory failure
Unexpected Outcome (Positive or Negative) Including Adverse Drug Reactions
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Summary:Alveolar haemorrhage is a rare and serious medical emergency with many causes. Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage due to warfarin therapy has been rarely reported in the literature. In this paper, we describe the case of 62-year-old woman with a history of chronic atrial fibrillation treated with warfarin, who was admitted to our institution with haemoptysis and dyspnoea. Alveolar haemorrhage was suspected clinically and subsequently confirmed by bronchoscopy. The patient required aggressive treatment with fresh frozen plasma, vitamin K and mechanical ventilation with a successful outcome. We emphasise the need for early diagnosis and fast therapeutic intervention, especially with over-anticoagulation (INR >9), in patients with this rare and potentially lethal condition.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:1757-790X
1757-790X
DOI:10.1136/bcr.08.2008.0757