Hematomas

A contusion is an injury to soft tissue in which the skin is not penetrated, but swelling of broken blood vessels causes a bmise. The bmise is caused by a blow of excessive force to muscle, tendon, or ligament tissue. A bmise, also known as a hematoma, is caused when blood coagulates around the injury causing swelling and discoloring skin. Most contusions are mild and respond well to rest, ice, compression, and elevation of the injured area. 

Heparin may be given by intermittent IV administration, continuous IV infusion, and the SC route. Intramuscular administration is avoided because of die possibility of the development of local irritation, pain, or hematoma (a collection of blood in die tissue). A solution of dilute heparin may be used to maintain patency of an IV site used for intermittent administration of any drug given by die IV route ... 

Thrombocytopenia is characterized by a decrease in the platelet count (<100,000/mm3). The nurse monitors patients with thrombocytopenia for bleeding tendencies and takes precautions to prevent bleeding. Injections are avoided but, if necessary, the nurse applies pressure to the injection site for 3 to 5 minutes to prevent bleeding into the tissue and the formation of a hematoma The nurse informs the patient to avoid the use of electric razors, nail trimmers, dental floss, firm... 

The chemical conversion of heme to bihmbin by reticuloendothelial cells can be observed in vivo as the purple color of the heme in a hematoma is slowly converted to the yellow pigment of bilirubin. 

ECASS-II was designed to test a lower dose of rt-PA (0.9 mg/kg) during the same 0-6-hours time period after stroke onset, using similar inclusion criteria as in ECASS-I. ° The primary endpoint was the proportion with a favorable outcome on the mRS scale (defined as a score of 0 or 1). There was no difference in this outcome between rt-PA-treated and placebo controls (40% vs. 37%, p = 0.28). A separate analysis of the 158 subjects enrolled within 3 hours of stroke onset also showed no difference in the proportion with a favorable outcome (42% vs. 38%, p = 0.63) this result, however, must be treated with caution because in ECASS-II there was a substantially lower number of patients treated within 3 hours of stroke onset, compared to the 1995 NINDS rt-PA study. Parenchymal hematoma on post-treatment CT was seen in 12% of rt-PA-treated and 3% of placebo patients (p < 0.001). The 90-day mortality rate was 11 % for the rt-PA group and 11 % for the placebo group (p = 0.54). Protocol violations were much less frequent in ECASS-II compared to ECASS-I (9% vs. 18%), probably because of standardized training in CT interpretation at the study sites. 

IV rt-PA has been safely given in patients with cervical arterial dissection There are four reports of IV rt-PA use in pregnancy, with one case complicated by intrauterine hematoma,rt-PA should be used in this setting only after careful assessment of the risks and benefits. There is insufficient data to determine the benefit of rt-PA in the pediatric population, with no randomized trials. 

Kirollos RW, Tyagi AK, Ross SA, van Hille PT, Marks PV. Management of spontaneous cerebellar hematomas aprospective treatment protocol. Neurosurgery 2001 49(6) 1378-1387. 

Hemorrhagic stroke is a result of bleeding into the brain and other spaces within the central nervous system and includes subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subdural hematomas. 

Intracerebral Hemorrhage Trial compared three different doses and placebo. Doses were 40,80, or 160 mcg/kg or placebo given as an IV infusion over 1 to 2 minutes within 4 hours after the onset of symptoms. Hematoma growth was decreased at 24 hours, mortality was decreased at 90 days, and overall functioning was increased at 90 days. Further studies are ongoing to evaluate the role of recombinant factor Vila in ICH treatment.41... 

Mild hemarthrosis, musosal (e.g., epistaxis, nosebleed), superficial hematoma 30% 20%-30% Factor VIII q8-12 hours over 1-2 days Factor IX q12-24 hours over 1-2 days... 

Immediate administration of 100 meg to 1 mg vitamin K subcutaneously or intravenously, followed by administration of FFP as necessary. Vitamin K administration via the intramuscular route may induce hematoma owing to coagulopathy, and intravenous administration should be slow because it has been associated with anaphylaxis. Prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) at minimum dose of 50 units/kg should be given for life-threatening bleeding.27,28... 

Monitor patient for toxicities such as hematomas and anaphylactic reactions. 

Mechanical complications of PN are related to catheter placement and the system and equipment used to administer PN. A central venous catheter must be placed by a trained professional, and risks associated with placement include pneumothorax, arterial puncture, bleeding, hematoma formation, venous thrombosis, and air embolism.1,20 Over time, the catheter may require replacement. Problems with the equipment include malfunctions of the infusion pump, intravenous tubing sets, and filters. 

In a report from the Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, pediatric nurses have reported a much higher frequency of complications from IM injections than that observed in the adult population. Twenty-three percent of pediatric nurses surveyed had observed complications (local pain, abscess, hematoma) versus a rate of 0.4% reported in adult patients [86]. Serious complications, such as paralysis from infiltration of the sciatic nerve, quadriceps myofibrosis, and accidental intra-arterial injection, are usually the... 

A third case describes a 72-year-old woman who developed a left frontal subdural hematoma after taking ginkgo 50 mg three times daily for 6-7 months... 

Rowin J, Lewis S. Spontaneous bilateral subdural hematomas associated with chronic ginkgo biloba ingestion. Neurology 46 1775-1776, 1996. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Meningitis, basilar artery blood clots (thrombosis), cardioembolic stroke, cavernous sinus syndromes, cerebral venous blood clots (thrombosis), confusional states and acute memory disorders, epileptic and epileptiform encephalopathies, febrile seizures, haemophilus meningitis, intracranial hemorrhage, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, subdural pus (empyema), or bruise (hematoma). 

Hemorrhagic strokes account for 12% of strokes and include subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subdural hematomas. Subarachnoid hemorrhage may result from trauma or rupture of an intracranial aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation. Intracerebral hemorrhage occurs when a ruptured blood vessel within the brain parenchyma causes formation of a hematoma. Subdural hematomas are most often caused by trauma. 

The presence of blood in the brain parenchyma causes damage to surrounding tissue through a mass effect and the neurotoxicity of blood components and their degradation products. Compression of tissue surrounding hematomas may lead to secondary ischemia. Much of the early mortality of hemorrhagic stroke is due to an abrupt increase in intracranial pressure that can lead to herniation and death. 

In subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured intracranial aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation, surgical intervention to clip or ablate the vascular abnormality substantially reduces mortality from rebleeding. The benefits of surgery are less well documented in cases of primary intracerebral hemorrhage. In patients with intracerebral hematomas, insertion of an intraventricular drain with monitoring of intracranial pressure is... 

UFH must be given parenterally, preferably by the IV or subcutaneous (SC) route. Intramuscular administration is discouraged because absorption is erratic and it may cause large hematomas. 

Bruising, local irritation, mild pain, erythema, histamine-like reactions, and hematoma can occur at the site of injection. Hypersensitivity reactions involving chills, fever, urticaria, and rarely bronchospasm, nausea, vomiting, and shock have been reported in patients with HIT. Long-term UFH has been reported to cause alopecia, priapism, hyperkalemia, and osteoporosis. 

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