[Serious Coagulation Dysfunction in a Patient with Gallstone-related Cholecystitis Successfully Treated with Vitamin K]

An 85-year-old woman with a diagnosis of choledocholithiasis due to common duct stones gradually developed severe coagulation dysfunction over the course of 27 days after hospitalization. Initial clinical findings were fever, general malaise, and obstructive jaundice. She was treated with fasting, and received cephem antibiotics containing N-methyl-thio-tetrazole. Because the common duct stones were not removed endoscopically, cholecystectomy was scheduled. Coagulation on admission was normal, but gradually became impaired. On the scheduled day of the operation, 27 days after hospitalization, coagulation [both prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT)] were severely impaired PT,10%; PT-international normalized ratio, 6.29; and APTT, 71.6 s. No other abnormalities were identified. Surgery was postponed and antibiotics were discontinued. Simultaneously, administration of vitamin K was initiated. Six days after starting vitamin K, coagulation dysfunction had resolved and the surgery was safely performed under general anesthesia combined with thoracic epidural anesthesia. Care is warranted regarding coagulation dysfunction due to vitamin K deficiency in patients with hepatobiliary disease treated by fasting and antibiotics.