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Background Anticoagulant therapy for patients with severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pneumonia is considered to improve the hypercoagulable and inflammatory state. However, bleeding complications should also be considered. Case presentation A 77-year-old man with a history of falls was diagnosed with COVID-19. Owing to his severe condition, he was intubated and transferred to our hospital for intensive care. Favipiravir, tocilizumab, unfractionated heparin, and ART-123 were administered to treat COVID-19 and manage the antithrombotic prophylaxis for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (Af). On the 6th day after admission, a hematoma was noted on the left chest wall. Computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple hematomas, including hematomas on his chest wall and obturatorius internus muscle. Emergency angiography transcatheter embolization (TAE) was performed. The patient was transferred to another hospital 23 days after TAE, without complications. Conclusion Our findings show that anticoagulation therapy and a history of falls induced multiple hematomas in a COVID-19 patient and that the condition was managed with TAE. When anticoagulants are considered in the management of Af and COVID-19 associated coagulopathy, it is necessary to closely monitor potential bleeding complications.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI)-associated coagulopathy is a widely recognized risk factor for secondary brain damage and contributes to poor clinical outcomes. Various theories, including disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), have been proposed regarding its pathomechanisms; no consensus has been reached thus far. This study aimed to elucidate the pathophysiology of TBI-induced coagulopathy by comparing coagulofibrinolytic changes in isolated TBI (iTBI) to those in non-TBI, to determine the associated factors, and identify the clinical significance of DIC diagnosis in patients with iTBI.Methods: This secondary multicenter, prospective study assessed patients with severe trauma. iTBI was defined as Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores ≥4 in the head and neck, and ≤2 in other body parts. Non-TBI was defined as AIS scores ≥4 in single body parts other than the head and neck, and the absence of AIS scores ≥3 in any other trauma-affected parts. Specific biomarkers for thrombin and plasmin generation, anticoagulation, and fibrinolysis inhibition were measured at the presentation to the emergency department (0 h) and 3 h after arrival.Results: We analyzed 34 iTBI and 40 non-TBI patients. Baseline characteristics, transfusion requirements and in-hospital mortality did not significantly differ between groups. The changes in coagulation/fibrinolysis-related biomarkers were similar. Lactate levels in the iTBI group positively correlated with DIC scores (rho = −0.441, p = 0.017), but not with blood pressure (rho = −0.098, p = 0.614). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that the injury severity score was an independent predictor of DIC development in patients with iTBI (odds ratio = 1.237, p = 0.018). Patients with iTBI were further subdivided into two groups: DIC (n = 15) and non-DIC (n = 19) groups. Marked thrombin and plasmin generation were observed in all patients with iTBI, especially those with DIC. Patients with iTBI and DIC had higher requirements for massive transfusion and emergency surgery, and higher in-hospital mortality than those without DIC. Furthermore, DIC development significantly correlated with poor hospital survival; DIC scores at 0 h were predictive of in-hospital mortality.Conclusions: Coagulofibrinolytic changes in iTBI and non-TBI patients were identical, and consistent with the pathophysiology of DIC. DIC diagnosis in the early phase of TBI is key in predicting the outcomes of severe TBI.

Background Coagulopathy induced by COVID-19 has received much attention. Arterial and venous thrombosis of multiple organs due to COVID-19-related coagulopathy is associated with a poor outcome. Case presentation A 67-year-female was transferred to our hospital in need of intensive care for severe COVID-19 pneumonia. On day 7 after admission, despite the treatments, her respiratory and hemodynamic status deteriorated. Computed tomography revealed massive ascites and free air as well as wall defects of the transverse colon. An emergency laparotomy was undertaken in the intensive-care unit, and 17 cm of the transverse colon was resected. Histopathological findings revealed two perforation sites of 25 and 7 mm in diameter, necrosis of the intestinal mucosa around the perforation sites, and the microcirculatory thrombosis in the mesentery vessels which was suspected of having been induced by COVID-19-related coagulopathy. Conclusions The case highlights the risk of intestinal ischemia and perforation induced by COVID-19 coagulopathy. Physicians treating COVID-19 should recognize the risk and evaluate patients carefully.

Background Although age and trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) are well-known predictors of poor outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI), the interaction effect of these two predictors remains unclear.Objectives We assessed age-related differences in the impact of TIC on the outcome following isolated TBI.Methods We conducted a retrospective observational study in two tertiary emergency critical care medical centers in Japan from 2013 to 2018. A total of 1036 patients with isolated TBI [head abbreviated injury scale (AIS) ≥3, and other AIS

Sepsis leads to coagulopathy by the activation of inflammatory mediators and vascular endothelial cell injury. A number of biomarkers are used to evaluate coagulopathy on sepsis. Fibrinogen and antithrombin activity have been reported as biomarkers of coagulopathy; however, the utility of these two markers has not been well established. This study aimed to evaluate the detailed association between these two markers and clinical outcomes in sepsis patients.This was a post hoc analysis of a multicenter, prospective cohort study conducted in 59 intensive care units throughout Japan from January 2016 to March 2017. We included 1103 adult patients with severe sepsis based on the Sepsis-2 criteria. The associations between the coagulation markers and in-hospital mortality were examined using linear and non-linear logistic regression analyses. We also evaluated the associations between the coagulation markers and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) scores. The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis overt DIC score was calculated after subtracting the fibrinogen component.The decreased levels of the fibrinogen and antithrombin activity were significantly associated with an increase in mortality (P = 0.011 and 0.002, respectively). In addition, cubic spline regression demonstrated that mortality sharply increased at a fibrinogen level of approximately200 mg/dL and at an antithrombin activity of approximately50%. Similarly, the decreased levels of the two markers non-linearly correlated with the elevation of DIC score.The fibrinogen level and antithrombin activity should be reconsidered as unique biomarkers for sepsis and sepsis-induced DIC.

Patient: Female, 30-year-old Final Diagnosis: Severe COVID-19 pneumonia Symptoms: Dyspena Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation Specialty: Critical Care Medicine • Infectious Diseases Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: There are few reports of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pregnant women. Although coagulation dys-function was reported to affect the severity of COVID-19, the association between pregnancy, which is usually accompanied by changes in coagulation function, and the worsening of COVID-19 is unknown. We present a case of a 30-year-old woman in the 36th week of pregnancy who was diagnosed with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and required postpartum extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. Case Report: A 30-year-old, 36-weeks pregnant woman presented to our hospital and was diagnosed with severe COVID-19 pneumonia soon after she had undergone a cesarean section. Her respiratory failure could not be managed by conventional therapeutic approaches. Therefore, ECMO was administered on day 7. Controlling coagulation function to maintain ECMO therapy was challenging. Nafamostat mesylate and cryoprecipitate were administered to treat the hypercoagulative status and severe hypofibrinogenemia, respectively. Since coagulopathy and her respiratory state improved, the ECMO therapy was terminated on day 15. Conclusions: We report a case of severe COVID-19 pneumonia in a pregnant woman urgently treated with ECMO in the post-partum period. Thus, this case highlights the importance of close monitoring and appropriate medical care for pregnant women with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

SummaryThe Japanese Association for Acute Medicine (JAAM) disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) study group recently announced new diagnostic criteria for DIC. These criteria have been prospectively validated and demonstrated to progress to overt DIC as defined by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH).Although an underlying condition is essential for the development of DIC, it has never been clarified if patients with different underlying disorders have a similar course. Among 329 patients with DIC diagnosed by the JAAM criteria, those with underlying sepsis (n=98) or trauma (n=95) were compared. The 28-day mortality rate was significantly higher in sepsis patients than trauma patients (34.7% vs. 10.5%, p

Knowing the pathophysiology of trauma-induced coagulopathy is important for the management of severely injured trauma patients. The aims of this review are to provide a summary of the recent advances in our understanding of thrombosis and hemostasis following trauma and to discuss the pathogenesis of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) at an early stage of trauma. Local hemostasis and thrombosis respectively act to induce physiological wound healing of injuries and innate immune responses to damaged-self following trauma. However, if overwhelmed by systemic inflammation caused by extensive tissue damage and tissue hypoperfusion, both of these processes foster systemic DIC associated with pathological fibrin(ogen)olysis. This is called DIC with the fibrinolytic phenotype, which is characterized by the activation of coagulation, consumption coagulopathy, insufficient control of coagulation, and increased fibrin(ogen)olysis. Irrespective of microvascular thrombosis, the condition shows systemic thrombin generation as well as its activation in the circulation and extensive damage to the microvasculature endothelium. DIC with the fibrinolytic phenotype gives rise to oozing-type non-surgical bleeding and greatly affects the prognosis of trauma patients. The coexistences of hypothermia, acidosis, and dilution aggravate DIC and lead to so-called trauma-induced coagulopathy. He that would know what shall be must consider what has been. The Analects of Confucius.

Introduction Sepsis is the most common disease associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). To test the hypothesis that DIC diagnosed by the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine (JAAM) DIC scoring system (JAAM DIC) constitutes a dependent continuum to overt DIC diagnosed by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) overt DIC scoring system (ISTH overt DIC) in patients with sepsis, we conducted a retrospective study. Materials and Methods The databases from two prospective, multicenter clinical investigations were analyzed. The inclusion criteria comprised patients with sepsis-related DIC, who met the JAAM DIC criteria. Results The present study enrolled 166 patients, of whom 67 met the ISTH overt DIC criteria. All patients with sepsis who developed to overt DIC during the study period could be identified by the JAAM DIC diagnostic criteria in the first study. While the overall 28-day mortality was 31.3%, mortality (40.3%, p = 0.0040) and the incidence of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (70.1%, p = 0.008) of the patients with the ISTH overt DIC was approximately one and a half times that of the patients associated with only the JAAM DIC. A stepwise increase in the ISTH overt DIC scores and the incidence of the ISTH overt DIC were also observed in accordance with the increase in the JAAM DIC scores. Conclusion DIC diagnosed based on the JAAM DIC diagnostic criteria exists in a dependent continuum to the ISTH overt DIC in patients with sepsis, thus enabling them to receive early treatment.