title: [Hemorrhagic incidents during prolonged ambulatory treatment with acenocoumarol].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To analyze hemorrhagic complications in a series of outpatients treated with acenocoumarol in an anticoagulant specialized unit by a prospective observational clinical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  1,200 outpatients (682 women/518 men, mean age 54.6 +/- 15.8 yrs.) treated with acenocoumarol for at least 6 weeks, with a total follow-up of 2,795 patients-yr. Prevalence and incidence of bleeding was analyzed. The episodes that were potentially life-threatening, or forced to blood transfusion or hospital patient admittance were considered as major bleedings, and the remainder episodes were minor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 379 minor bleedings in 258 patients (incidence 13.56/100 patients-yr.), 45 major bleedings (1.61/100 patients-yr.) and 2 lethal bleedings (0.07/100 patients-yr.). Minor bleedings correlated with more advanced age (57.3 +/- 11.8 vs. 53.9 +/- 16.7 yrs., p = 0.002), with the first two months in treatment in the 511 patients who start the treatment during the study (31.09 vs. 13.04/100 patients-yr., p < 0.001), and with a worse achievement of the desired anticoagulation (72.4% vs. 81.6%; p = 0.002). Major bleeding was associated with local causes in 48.9%, and with an excessive anticoagulation in 35.6%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bleeding is relatively frequent during acenocoumarol therapy, mainly in patients with worse control, but only in a few of these episodes is severe, and is usually associated with local lesions.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Hemoterapia y Hemostasia, Hospital Clínic i Provincial, Barcelona.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Reverter
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tàssies
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maragall
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monteagudo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Escolar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ordinas
mesh_terms: D000074:Acenocoumarol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000074:Acenocoumarol
vernacular_title: Accidentes hemorrágicos durante el tratamiento ambulatorio prolongado con acenocumarol.