Patients with a history of blood clots are commonly placed on anticoagulation therapy, but a common adverse effect of this therapy is hemorrhage. Our patient with a history of left ventricle thrombus in a free-standing inpatient rehabilitation hospital had ecchymoses that expanded over a large portion of the posterior thigh in one day. The rapid expansion of the ecchymoses coupled with a decline in hemoglobin levels prompted an immediate evaluation that showed an intramuscular hematoma. With hemoglobin levels dropping significantly, the patient was then transferred to the emergency department for higher levels of care. A multidisciplinary team of vascular surgery and electrophysiology physicians decided to discontinue anticoagulation and monitor the hematoma with serial compartment checks. The hematoma had stabilized throughout the hospital stay without surgical intervention. This case will discuss the difficulty of managing a patient with a history of previous blood clots with an adductor magnus hematoma in the setting of concurrent iatrogenic anticoagulation. Furthermore, we will review the current management and evaluation of intramuscular hematomas.
Keywords: acute inpatient rehabilitation; asymptomatic anemia; complications of anticoagulation; diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound; intramuscular hematoma; multidisciplinary decision-making; point-of-care-ultrasound.
Copyright © 2024, Kim et al.