Week 9 - Clotting and Coagulation Flashcards
What is the best way to determine surgical bleeding risk?
Thorough history and physical –> During interview may aid in a decision to get labs drawn to if indicated
What things may patients complain about with undiagnosed coagulopathies during the interview?
Frequent hematomas, runaway bruising, and oozing after minor injuries
What are some physical signs of bleeding that warrants further investigation?
Bruising or petechial hemorrhages on chest, abdomen, or upper extremities
Where is vitamin K created?
Bacteria from the gut
What factors does vitamin K form?
Factors 2, 7, 9, 10, proteins C and S
What patient problems may be present in patients who are unable to form or use clotting factors?
LIVER DISEASES
What 2 things are important to ask the patient when assessing anticoagulant drugs they are taking?
What drug they are taking and when they took the last dose
How does Aspirin work?
Irreversibly inhibits cyclooxygenase which inhibits formation of prostaglandins and in turn Thromboxane A2 –> decreases function of the platelet
Patients should stop taking aspirin _____________ days prior to surgery
7-10 days
NSAIDS need to be withheld ______________ hours prior to surgery, why?
24-48 hours. These drugs reversibly block cyclooxygenase which prevents prostaglandin from forming, preventing the synthesis of thromboxane A2, so only a day or two is needed for platelets to regain function
Which herbal supplements can cause increased bleeding time?
All herbal supplements on table
What is a normal bleeding time?
3 - 7 minutes –> Qualitative assessment platelet count and function!
When can cryoprecipitate be given due to low fibrinogen levels?
80-100 mg / dL or less
What is a normal ACT?
80 - 150 seconds
What must the anesthesia provider do in an emergent or trauma situations that require surgery in regard to blood coagulation?
Must rely on on information supplied by family members, physical, and lab testing
Should coagulation labs be ordered on every patient prior to surgery?
No, only if indicated through doing a thorough history and physical
What can be done in a situation where a patient requires surgery, but not emergently. The patient presents with an elevated PT time
Administer vitamin K 4-6 hours prior to surgery for reversal –> 10-20 mg IM
If bleeding risk is moderate, what should be done prior to surgery? A type and crossmatch OR a type and screen?
Type and crossmatch
What should be done in an emergent surgery when the patient could be at an increased risk for bleeding?
Ordering all the blood components to have access to in the OR –> PRBCs, FFP, Platelets, and cryoprecipitate
What is the purpose of thromboxane A2 in the clotting process? What medications prevent this from occuring?
Constrict the vessel so vWF and platelets can adhere to the site of injury –> NSAIDS reversibly block this and ASA agents irreversibly block this
Prolonged bleeding will occur resulting in inadequate hemostasis
If a patient has a prolonged bleeding time, but hasn’t taken any medications that would cause this, what would be suspected? Should the case be cancelled?
Primary hemostasis abnormality –> Further investigation should be done
Just because a patient has a prolonged bleeding time DOES NOT mean they are at increased risk of bleeding or that an abnormality is present.
Is an isolated, slightly elevated bleeding time reason enough to cancel or delay a surgery?
No
Does a patient with a normal platelet count mean they have normal platelet function
No, only a representation of the quantity of platelets in the plasma with no correlation to function of the platelets
When is a patient considered throbocytopenic?
Counts less than 100,000