April 2024 Critical Care Case of the Month: A 53-year-old Man Presenting with Fatal Acute Intracranial Hemorrhage and Cryptogenic Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy

Robert A. Raschke MD MS ^1,2

Kim Josen MD²

Ethan Weisman BS³

¹Department of  Medicine and Biomedical Informatics, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix AZ USA

²Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, HonorHealth Osborne, Scottsdale, AZ USA

³ The Honors College, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

History of Present Illness: A 53-year-old man was admitted for acute onset of left hemiparesis, left facial droop and dysarthria witnessed by his wife (a nurse) while they were watching TV that evening. She reported the patient had no previous history of coronary artery disease or cerebral vascular disease, prior to an admission occurring three weeks earlier. The patient presented at that time with acute, severe left-sided chest pain that began while he was doing some heavy yardwork. While being evaluated in the emergency department (ED), he developed left-sided facial numbness, hemiparesis and dysarthria. A CT scan of the brain was normal. Neurological symptoms resolved before lytic therapy could be administered. Troponins and EKG were normal. A D-dimer was >20 mg/L, but a CTA of the chest showed no pulmonary embolism and was otherwise unrevealing. The chest pain resolved without specific therapy. Subsequent CTA of the head and neck and a brain MRI were both normal. Other labs drawn during that two-day hospitalization, including a CBC, complete metabolic profile, INR and aPTT, were all essentially normal. The patient was diagnosed with transient ischemic attack, atypical chest pain and new onset hypertension, and discharged on 81 mg aspirin and 2.5 mg amlodipine daily.

The patient did well over the intervening three weeks except for poor control of his hypertension, with blood pressures measured at home as high as 178/105. On the morning before his current presentation, the patient coughed up blood. The patient’s wife examined his mouth and noted several “blood blisters” of his buccal mucosa which she attributed to his poorly fitting dentures. The patient was otherwise well until the onset of stroke symptoms at 2200, after which he  complained of diffuse headache. 

Past Medical History: The patient had no known allergies. He had a history of emphysema, GERD and hypercholesterolemia and was taking rosuvastatin, esomeprazole and inhaled fluticasone/umeclidinium/vilanterol in addition to amlodipine and aspirin. He had a remote history of major trauma resulting in asplenia. He didn’t smoke, vape, drink alcohol excessively or use drugs. He worked as a truck driver.

Physical Examination: Initial physical examination was significant for HR 117 bpm, RR 18 bpm, temp. 36.5°C, BP 169/99 mmHg. His Glascow Coma Scale (GCS) was 14 and he was dysarthric, with a rightward gaze preference and a dense L hemiplegia. Ecchymoses of his left knee and right shoulder were noted. A stat CT brain showed a 6x4x4cm intraparenchymal hematoma centered on the right basal ganglia, effacing the right lateral ventricle and causing 6mm of midline shift. It was confirmed that the patient had not taken any antithrombotic medications or clopidogrel. Admission labs demonstrated a WBCC 22.8 x10³/uL, Hb 12.8 g/dL and platelet count of 64 x10³/uL. An automated five-part differential (neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, basophils, and eosinophils) was normal. The INR was 2.2 and aPTT 38 secs. Fibrinogen was 62 mg/dL and a D-dimer >20 ml/L. A complete metabolic profile was unremarkable.

Routine management of acute hemorrhagic stroke includes which of the following except? (Click on the correct answer to be directed to the )

1. Rapid control of systolic blood pressure to levels <140mmHg using intravenous antihypertensives if necessary.
2. Rapid reversal of antithrombotic effects of medications such as warfarin with four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F PCC), and Xa inhibitors with andexanet alpha or 4FPCC.
3. Platelet transfusion to maintain platelet count >100 x10³/uL in patients with thrombocytopenia.
4. Platelet transfusion to restore platelet function in patients with normal platelet counts, but platelet dysfunction due to aspirin or other antiplatelet drugs.
5. Neurosurgical consultation.

Cite as: Raschke RA, Josen KM, Weisman E. A 53-year-old Man Presenting with Fatal Acute Intracranial Hemorrhage and Cryptogenic Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy. Southwest J Pulm Crit Care Sleep. 2024;28(4):49-55. doi: https://doi.org/10.13175/swjpccs016-24 PDF