Excessive blood loss during operation in the patient treated with propylthiouracil.

A case of bleeding during operation due to propylthiouracil-induced thrombocytopenia is reported. A 55 year old male who had been treated with propylthiouracil for two months before operation underwent otherwise uneventful cervical laminectomy. Perioperatively he was transfused seven units of whole blood, two units of packed red cells, six units of platelets and two units of fresh frozen plasma for the estimated blood loss of 5500 ml. The patient underwent thyroidectomy without incident 45 days after withdrawal from propylthiouracil. The value of the preoperative coagulation studies of the patient treated with propylthiouracil is discussed.