Dabigatran anticoagulation and Stanford type A aortic dissection: lethal coincidence

BackgroundNovel oral anticoagulants are now encountered in patients needing emergency surgery. Knowledge and treatment options are limited. Methods and resultWe present the case of a 76-year-old patient who suffered from an acute Stanford type A aortic dissection, needing emergency surgical aortic repair. He was anticoagulated with dabigatran due to past atrial fibrillation. Despite haemodiafiltration, surgical revision and massive transfusion of packed red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, platelets, coagulation factors, and recombinant factor VIIa, the patient died from intractable bleeding with sustained therapeutic levels of dabigatran. ConclusionAfter reviewing the literature, we summarize the limited treatment options and show possible approaches for patients treated with dabigatran needing emergency surgery.