Prevention of severe bleeding by tranexamic acid in a patient with disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Severe bleeding took place in a patient when abdominal aneurysm was removed by operation. Bleeding continued after infusion of heparin, antithrombin III (ATIII), fresh platelets and fresh blood. Infusion of tranexamic acid resulted in an immediate cessation of bleeding and improvement of his general condition. Sometime after the cessation by the administration of tranexamic acid, severe bleeding started again, resulting in intraperitoneal hematoma formation. Second time bleeding also stopped after the administration of tranexamic acid. Major finding of plasma parameters of fibrinolysis is that alpha 2AP which had been unable to inhibit plasmin, became able to inhibit it after the administration of tranexamic acid.