Category: Airway Management
Keywords: prothrombin complex concentrate, warfarin, bleeding (PubMed Search)
Posted: 5/29/2019 by Ashley Martinelli
(Updated: 6/1/2019)
Click here to contact Ashley Martinelli
For patients with bleeding due to warfarin, prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) is the recommended antidote. Historically, PCC has been dosed on weight and INR:
· INR 2 - 4: 25 units/kg, max 2500 units
· INR 4 - 6: 35 units/kg, max 3500 units
· INR > 6: 50 units/kg, max 5000 units
New data demonstrates that fixed dosing offers several advantages with similar efficacy outcomes:
· Standardized dosing
· Improved time to administration
· Decreased cost
The University of Maryland Health System has adopted a fixed dose strategy for all patients with warfarin-associated critical bleeding:
· Bleeding site other than intracranial hemorrhage AND INR 1.4 - 6 AND weight ≤ 100 kg = 1500 units
· Intracranial hemorrhage OR > 100 kg OR INR >6 = 2000 units
**Note: PCC is also the antidote of choice for reversing critical bleeding due to factor Xa inhibitors (rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban). All critical bleeds due to these agents should receive 50 units/kg, max 5000 units.
Klein L, Peters J, Miner J, Gorlin J. Evaluation of fixed dose 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrate for emergent warfarin reversal. Am J Emerg Med. 2015;33: 1213-12128.
Astrup G, Sarangarm P, Burnett A. Fixed dose 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrate for the emergent reversal of warfarin: a retrospective analysis. J Thrombosis Thrombolysis. 2018;45:300-305.
Scott R, Kersten B, Baisor J, Nadler M. Evaluation of fixed-dose four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate for emergent warfarin reversal in patients with intracranial hemorrhage. J Emerg Med. 2018;54(6):861-866.
