Signs and symptoms
- Uncontrolled internal or external bleeding
- Damage to joints, muscles, or internal organs
- Life-threatening if left untreated
- Serious symptoms include heavy external bleeding, blood in urine or stool, double vision, severe head or neck pain, repeated vomiting, difficulty walking, convulsions, or seizures
- Prompt medical care needed for mild but unstoppable external bleeding or joint swelling and stiffness
Mechanism
- Coagulopathy caused by reduced levels or absence of clotting factors
- Genetic disorders like hemophilia and Von Willebrand disease can cause reduced clotting factors
- Anticoagulants like warfarin prevent proper clot formation
- Dysfunction or reduced levels of platelets can lead to coagulopathy
- The normal clotting process depends on the interplay of various proteins in the blood
Acute traumatic coagulopathy
- Coagulopathy induced by trauma results in more severe bleeding
- It can lead to multi-organ failure
- High mortality rates associated with acute traumatic coagulopathy
- Coined by Karim Brohi, Professor of Trauma Sciences
- Identified as a significant factor in trauma-related outcomes
Treatment
- Medications or replacement therapy used to manage coagulopathy symptoms
- Replacement therapy involves replacing reduced or absent clotting factors with proteins derived from human blood or created in the laboratory
- Therapy can be given to treat ongoing bleeding or prevent future bleeding
- Health care provider helps manage coagulopathy treatment
- Prompt medical care and intervention necessary for effective treatment
Critical care
- Managing major bleeding in critical settings like emergency departments
- Transfusion of red cells combined with blood plasma or specific clotting factors
- Tranexamic acid supported by large, randomized clinical trial for major bleeding after trauma
- Possible risks associated with treating coagulopathies, such as transfusion-related acute lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, major hemorrhage, and venous thromboembolism
- Updated European guidelines provide recommendations for managing bleeding and coagulopathy following major trauma.
Coagulopathy (also called a bleeding disorder) is a condition in which the blood's ability to coagulate (form clots) is impaired. This condition can cause a tendency toward prolonged or excessive bleeding (bleeding diathesis), which may occur spontaneously or following an injury or medical and dental procedures.[citation needed]
Coagulopathy | |
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Other names | Bleeding disorder |
Platelets | |
Specialty | Hematology ![]() |
Coagulopathies are sometimes erroneously referred to as "clotting disorders", but a clotting disorder is the opposite, defined as a predisposition to excessive clot formation (thrombus), also known as a hypercoagulable state or thrombophilia.
coagulate + -pathy
coagulopathy (countable and uncountable, plural coagulopathies)