Clinical Question:

Emergency Departments frequently encounter patients on anticoagulant therapy. How are we currently managing anticoagulation reversal in our ED? How do we approach reversal, considering urgency in the face of major bleeding complications or prior to emergency surgery?

Background:

As result of the narrow therapeutic window of many anticoagulants, treatment presents a significant risk for life-threatening bleeds. Major bleeding involving the gastrointestinal, urinary tract, and soft tissue occurs in up to 6.5% of patients on anticoagulant therapy. The incidence of fatal bleeding is approximately 1% each year (1). Standard therapy for the control of coagulopathy related bleeding has traditionally required the use of available blood products, reversal of drug-induced anticoagulation, and recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa). The introduction of new direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), dabigatran, apixaban and rivaroxaban presents the need for a new realm of antidotes and reversal agents.

Indications for Reversal:

Emergency physicians should consider reversal of anticoagulation for patients presenting with bleeding in the case of anticoagulant use, antiplatelet use, trauma, intracranial hemorrhage, stroke, and bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract, deep muscles, retro-ocular region, or joint spaces (2,3). The severity of each hemorrhage should be considered, reversing in cases of shock or if the patient requires blood transfusions because of excessive bleeding (2).

Patients should also undergo reversal of anticoagulation if urgent or emergent surgery is necessary (4).

For most medical conditions requiring anticoagulation, the target international normalized ratio (INR) is 2.0 to 3.0 (5). Notable exceptions to this rule are patients with mechanical heart valves, and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. These patients require more intense anticoagulation, with target INR values between 2.5-3.5 (5).

The following laboratory assays should be considered, and repeated as clinically indicated (2):

• PT/INR
• aPTT
• TT (thrombin time)
• Basic Metabolic Panel
• CBC

Initial assessment should address the following from a patient history (2):

• How severe is the bleed, and where is it located?
• Is the patient actively bleeding now?
• Which agent is the patient receiving?
• When was the last dose of anticoagulant administered?
• Could the patient have taken an unintentional or intentional overdose of anticoagulant?
• Does the patient have any history of renal or hepatic disease?
• Is the patient taking other medications that would affect hemostasis?
• Does the patient have any other comorbidities that would contribute to bleeding risk?

See this article for more details on the management of anticoagulation reversal in the face of major bleeding

It is important to note that not all coagulopathies will be anticoagulant drug induced. After all drug-induced causes have been ruled out, it is appropriate to follow previously established protocols (ie. transfusion protocol).