Rivaroxaban reversal

Background

• Millions of people in the United States are on at least one type of anticoagulant medication, for a number of medical conditions including atrial fibrillation, placement of cardiac stents, stroke prevention, deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism, and prevention of acute coronary syndromes.
• In the past several years, there have been numerous new anticoagulant medications that have entered the market, with claims of easier dosing and need for less monitoring compared to older generation medications.
• However, with use of these new medications in increasing numbers by the public, and uncertainty regarding the best mechanisms of reversal, this can lead to a difficult situation for the emergency physician when a patient on one of these medications presents with a catastrophic intracranial or gastrointestinal bleed.
• Since the introduction of the direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI) dabigatran (Pradaxa) and the Factor Xa inhibitors rivaroxaban (Xarelto) and epixiban (Eliquis), there have been multiple studies that have attempted to determine 1) which test(s) could be used to assess whether a patient has supratherapeutic drug levels, and 2) the best way to reverse anticoagulation in patients on these medications who have a life-threatening bleed.
• However, the available studies are lacking in that none of these studies are assessing human subjects taking these medicaitions who are potentially supratherapeutic and symptomatic.

Clinical Features

• Patient taking rivaroxaban with a life-threatening bleeding event (GI, ICH, etc.)

Differential Diagnosis

• bleeding secondary to other coagulopathy
• spontaneous bleeding

Diagnosis

• clinical manifestation of GI bleeding
• low H&H
• non contrast head CT showing ICH

Management

• IV/O2/Monitor, ABCs
• standard resuscitation with IVF; PRBCs if needed
• If ICH, treat for increased ICP

Disposition

• admission to a monitored setting