libourel2016

I chose this article based on the patient I saw and chose to write an H&P on. The patient presented with fixed gaze and decerebrate posturing after a massive intraventricular bleed, but we noticed scattered ecchymoses over the patients’ torso. After doing some basic bloodwork, it was discovered the patient had undiagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia, and the bruising (and cause of the stroke) was due to disseminated intravascular coagulation. This article found that DIC on diagnosis was a strong predictor for thrombotic events such as ischemic stroke, pulmonary embolism, or deep vein thrombosis. A patient with newly diagnosed AML should have D-dimer levels checked immediately, as this was the biomarker with the strongest predictive value for a thrombotic event.