Multidisciplinary Guidance for the Management of Severe Bleeding on Oral Anticoagulation: An Algorithm for Practicing Clinicians.

Abstract

Bleeding complications associated with oral anticoagulant (OAC) frequently lead to emergency department visits and hospitalization. Short-term all-cause mortality after severe bleeding is substantial ranging from about 10% for gastrointestinal bleeding (the most frequent single site) to about 50% for intracranial bleeding. A protocolized, multidisciplinary approach to bleeding ensures is needed to (i) rapidly identify of patients at risk of adverse outcomes, (ii) optimize delivery of supportive measures, (iii) treat the source of bleeding, and (iv) administer anticoagulant reversal or hemostatic therapies judiciously for patients most likely to benefit. We convened a multidisciplinary panel of experts (emergency medicine, gastroenterology, general internal medicine, hematology, neurology, pharmacy, thrombosis,) to review the literature and provide practical guidance including a corresponding algorithm for use at the point of care to assist clinicians in the management of patients with acute severe OAC-related bleeding.