Administration of recombinant activated factor VII (NovoSeven) in three cases of uncontrolled bleeding caused by disseminated intravascular coagulopathy.
Recombinant activated factor VII has been used successfully in many cases of traumatic and surgical bleeding complications that were unresponsive to standard treatment. However, because disseminated intravascular coagulation can develop from a thrombin burst as a side effect of recombinant activated factor VII, it is not yet established for bleeding complications induced by disseminated intravascular coagulation. This article presents 3 patients with severe sepsis and fulminant disseminated intravascular coagulation. Excessive microvascular bleeding persisted despite conventional therapy, and surgical intervention and radiologic embolization did not control bleeding. After administration of recombinant activated factor VII, bleeding ceased in all patients, and no overt thromboembolic events occurred. One patient survived to be discharged from the hospital. The other 2 patients died from refractory multiorgan failure and overall poor prognosis. Recombinant factor VIIa might be an option for the treatment of severe bleeding complications in the case of DIC refractory to the conventional therapy.
Schmid
Stefan
S
Department of General and Surgical Critical Care Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Austria.
Friesenecker
Barbara
B
Lorenz
Ingo
I
Innerhofer
Petra
P
Koscielny
Jürgen
J
Velik-Salchner
Corinna
C
Mutz
Norbert
N
Fries
Dietmar
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004211:Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005167:Factor VII / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015942:Factor VIIa; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000209:etiology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D005167:Factor VII; C103587:recombinant FVIIa; D015942:Factor VIIa