Fibrinolytic Bleeding

Fibrinolytic Bleeding – General Information

Fibrinolytic Bleeding is a serious medical condition that can put the patient’s life in real danger and can occur during a common surgery. Every patient can develop this type of bleeding disorder during an operation and this is why, in order to prevent Fibrinolytic Bleeding, the surgeons, along with the health care providers, must perform a careful and close examination of the patient before putting him / her in the surgery. It is well known that this condition requires careful attendance from the doctors and nurses. Any exam of the patient must contain analysis of the fibrinolytic system, coagulation time and coagulation factors. Some abnormalities in these tests may contribute to the occurrence of excessive bleeding during surgery.

This illness is one of the most common problems that appear during an extracorporeal circulation or during a cardiac surgery. Any type of bleeding, and this one in particular presents a high risk of mortality and morbidity. The most common cause for this bleeding problem is represented by a delicate imbalance between fibrinolysis and thrombosis. The fibrinolysis is sometimes suppressed after a cardiac surgery as a result of an abnormally high level of plasminogen inhibitor-activator. A health care provider must apply a pharmacological treatment trial with antifibrinolytic agents, must perform a careful surgical dissection and must do a close hemostasis. As any other type of bleeding disorder, Fibrinolytic Bleeding has some typical manifestations, such as persistent headache, continuous vomiting, paleness, nosebleeds, etc. More prone to develop the disease are those patients who have hematological and coagulation disorders.

Fibrinolytic Bleeding – Symptoms

Fibrinolytic Bleeding – Treatment

There is only one effective medicine available for Fibrinolytic Bleeding called aminocaproic acid or 6-aminohexoic acid, prescribed under only one trademark, Amicar. The medicine is an analogue of the amino acid lysine and that is why is considered an effective inhibitor for enzymes which bind that particular residue. There are certain classes of enzymes that this medicine inhibits; they include proteolytic enzymes, that are a type of enzymes that breakdown proteins, plasminogen, an enzyme responsible for fibrinolysis. Amicar, as a lysine analogue, reversibly binds to the kringle domain on the plasminogen enzyme and blocks binding to the fibrin, which is usually, activated by plasmin. This kind of medicine is used to treat excessive postoperative bleeding, and that is why it is used to treat Fibrinolytic Bleeding. There are cases in which the medicine can be used in emergency blood transfusions or other emergency measures.

In general, the drug is administered intravenously, usually for about eight hours until the bleeding has been stopped. It is very important that the medicine should be slowly administrated to decrease the risk of side effects occurrence. There are cases in which the doctors do not administrate the medicine properly leading to the appearance of certain side effects which can include nausea, headache, diarrhea, and fatigue. It is important for the patient to notify the doctor if these symptoms persist or worsen. Usually, after administrating the medicine, the patient experiences irregular or unusually slow pulse, pain and redness at the injection site. There are cases in which the patient’s body does not respond properly to the medicine causing certain symptoms such as vision changes, weakness on one side, ringing in ears or loss of hearing, chest pain, mental changes, muscle pain, muscle weakness, change in amount of urine, seizures, prolonged menstruation, and ejaculation problems. In severe cases, the patient can experience allergic reactions to the medicine, which can include rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, and trouble in breathing. These are not all the side effects that the medicine can cause, and if the patient experiences other signs than the normal ones, he must contact his doctor or pharmacist immediately.

In treating Fibrinolytic Bleeding, the doctor should be well informed about the patient’s medical history, if he has allergies, blood clotting diseases, such as hemophilia, if he has kidney diseases and bleeding within the brain. There are cases in which the benzyl alcohol, a composition found in the medicine, can cause severe complications that can lead eventually to the death of the patient, but only when it is given in extremely large doses. The first signs of this condition appear as sudden gasping, low blood pressure, and slow heartbeat. In treating Fibrinolytic Bleeding, if the patient is pregnant, the medicine can affect the pregnancy, or in rarer cases, can cause the loss of the pregnancy. It is also important for the doctor to know if the patient is taking medicines that can interact with Amicar, which can include Heparin, Warfarin and other blood thinners, Prothrombin, and any other medicines that should treat Fibrinolytic Bleeding.