Spontaneous rupture of the spleen. An unusual complication of anticoagulant therapy
M. T. Soyer, D. E. Merck and J. S. Aldrete
A 44-year-old man, who had been taking warfarin sodium because of a
previous myocardial infarct, suddenly developed abdominal pain and signs of
peritoneal irritation, requiring exploratory laparotomy. The spleen was
ruptured. There were not any systemic diseases nor antecedents of trauma
that could be considered predisposing factors for the apparently
spontaneous rupture of the spleen. The only abnormality recorded was an
elevated prothrombin time. Thus, a coagulopathy produced by the
anticoagulants appeared to be the only possible predisposing factor for his
splenic rupture.
