The Netherlands journal of medicine
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Case Reports
Treatment of postoperative bleeding after fondaparinux with rFVIIa and tranexamic acid.
Treatment of a haemorrhagic shock after just a single dose of fondaparinux in an orthopaedic patient with reduced renal clearance is presented. Since all routine haemostatic parameters were nearly normal, single doses of rFVIIa (90 microg/kg) and of tranexamic acid (15 mg/kg) were administered to improve thrombin generation and reduce fibrinolysis. This case is the first showing the effectiveness of combining single doses of rFVIIa and tranexamic acid in controlling severe postoperative bleeding after fondaparinux.
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Vasopressin is a nonapeptide synthesised in the hypothalamus and released upon stimulations such as hyperosmolality, hypotension and hypovolaemia. In acute shock states serum vasopressin levels increase rapidly and decrease in prolonged septic shock. The administration of vasopressin in healthy subjects has little effect, whereas in vasodilatory shock it increases the mean arterial pressure through V1 receptors and decreases the cardiac output. ⋯ Above a dose of 0.04 U/min it may lead to cardiac arrest. Effects on mortality cannot be interpreted from these studies. Broad clinical use should await controlled trials to clarify its effects on clinical outcomes such as organ failure and mortality.
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A healthy 28-year-old woman developed full-blown pulmonary oedema in the 36th week of gestation. Echocardiography revealed a globally enlarged heart with reduced systolic function. ⋯ This case report illustrates peripartum cardiomyopathy, a unique form of dilated cardiomyopathy affecting women during/following gestation. Clinician familiarity with this entity increases the probability of prompt appropriate treatment, offering patients the best possible prognosis.