EVALUATION OF COAGULATION TESTS AS PREDICTORS OF ANGIOGRAPHIC BLEEDING COMPLICATIONS

PURPOSE: To determine whether prothrombin time (PT), partial thrombopl astin time (PTT), and platelet count are useful predictors of postangi ographic hematoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors prospectively st udied 1,000 consecutive patients who underwent femoral arterial punctu re for a diagnostic or therapeutic vascular procedure. Demographic and procedural variables were recorded, including patient age and sex, hi story of medications and bleeding, procedure type and length, catheter size, and experience level of radiologist applying compression for he mostasis. RESULTS: Abnormal results of coagulation tests were not corr elated with an increased occurrence of hemorrhagic complications, but bleeding complications did occur more often in patients with thrombocy topenia. Hematomas occurred in 8.1% (10 of 123) of patients with any a bnormal coagulation test results and 9.7% (85 of 877) of patients with normal test results. A platelet count of less than 100 x 10(9)/L was correlated with a higher occurrence of hematoma (P =.002).CONCLUSION: Abnormal PTs and PTTs do not correlate with an increased risk of posta ngiographic hematoma, but a low platelet count is associated with more bleeding complications.