Massive pulmonary hemorrhage: a rare complication of heparin therapy.

A rare complication, massive pulmonary hemorrhage, occurred in two patients who were receiving heparin for pulmonary thromboembolic disease. The site of pulmonary hemorrhage was not found at autopsy. The occurrence of profuse hemoptysis in both patients prior to anticoagulation suggests that this finding may be of value in predicting the risk of pulmonary hemorrhage in a given patient.