Practical Tools to Approach Bleeding Patients

Practical Tools to Approach Bleeding Patients

Bleeding disorders are a common presentation in dogs and less commonly in cats. This lecture will focus on the clinical diagnostic approach to a bleeding animal. There are several point-of-care and reference laboratory tests permitting the separation between primary and secondary hemostatic defects as well as a specific diagnosis. Particularly challenging is the diagnosis of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), a syndrome observed with a variety of disorders.

Bleeding diatheses are generally separated into primary and secondary hemostatic disorders and in some cases both systems are affected, such as in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Primary hemostatic disorders include not only the common thrombocytopenias but also thrombopathias, vasculopathies, and von Willebrand disease. Secondary hemostatic disorders include all coagulation factor deficiencies involved in fibrin formation and are strictly speaking the coagulopathies. Platelet and vascular problems often present with surface hemorrhage, while coagulopathies generally cause hematomas and cavity bleeds. Excessive hemorrhage at an injury or surgery site and bleeding from multiple places are suggestive of bleeding disorder, and there are a several breed predilections for specific hereditary defects. […]