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Does Head Injury In A Patient Taking Warfarin Causes Internal Bleeding? What Are The Signs Of The Internal Bleeding Due To Head Injury?
Posted on
Sat, 17 Mar 2018
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Sat, 17 Mar 2018
Answered on
Tue, 18 Apr 2023
Last reviewed on
Question : My mother is 90 and she fell today...she seems fine according to her caregiver and checked out ok with emt's. However, not sure they knew she is on Warfarin. I wasn't concerned until she said she hit her head..not sure how hard. Should I be concerned about internal bleeding? Are there any signs I should look for? Prefer not to have her taken to the hospital unless necessary. Thanks in advance-Tria
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Would NOT giving her her Wafarin tonight be a terrible idea?
I know it can mess up her blood levels, but not terribly for one pm and would that help if there was any minor bleeding?
...................................................................
Would NOT giving her her Wafarin tonight be a terrible idea?
I know it can mess up her blood levels, but not terribly for one pm and would that help if there was any minor bleeding?
Brief Answer:
There are some signs.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Head injuries in patients taking Warfarin can result in life-threatening bleeding inside the skull. Even minor injuries may cause bleeding.
The warning signs may include:
- Drowsiness, the patient may feel sleepy all the time,
- Coma, the patient remains unresponsive and cannot be awakened,
- Headache, a new headache after the injury may be a sign of bleeding,
- Nausea and vomiting,
- Increased systolic blood pressure due to the increased intracranial pressure,
- Bradycardia, slow heart rate due to the tumor effect of the blood collection,
- Various neurological signs which may resemble a stroke (like weakness, sensory deficits, etc)
In cases where a head injury occurs to patients under anticoagulant treatment, a CT-scan of the brain is an appropriate modality to exclude bleeding.
If you'd like to be sure then only the CT-scan may provide reliable evidence against bleeding. If she develops any of the aforementioned signs then going to the hospital ASAP would be your only option.
I hope you find my comments helpful. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis
Internal Medicine Specialist
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Brief Answer:
It's difficult to say...
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Whether it's a terrible idea or not can be judged only by the outcome. I can say that taking Warfarin after an injury that caused bleeding may be fatal. I can't confirm that this is the right mode of action though. The best thing to do would be a CT-scan of the brain.
If she was one of my patients and I knew that she had no other option, I might have instructed her to skip the Warfarin until everything seemed fine. I would have been very puzzled if she took Warfarin because of a metallic heart valve though.
I hope it helps.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis
Internal Medicine Specialist
There are some signs.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Head injuries in patients taking Warfarin can result in life-threatening bleeding inside the skull. Even minor injuries may cause bleeding.
The warning signs may include:
- Drowsiness, the patient may feel sleepy all the time,
- Coma, the patient remains unresponsive and cannot be awakened,
- Headache, a new headache after the injury may be a sign of bleeding,
- Nausea and vomiting,
- Increased systolic blood pressure due to the increased intracranial pressure,
- Bradycardia, slow heart rate due to the tumor effect of the blood collection,
- Various neurological signs which may resemble a stroke (like weakness, sensory deficits, etc)
In cases where a head injury occurs to patients under anticoagulant treatment, a CT-scan of the brain is an appropriate modality to exclude bleeding.
If you'd like to be sure then only the CT-scan may provide reliable evidence against bleeding. If she develops any of the aforementioned signs then going to the hospital ASAP would be your only option.
I hope you find my comments helpful. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis
Internal Medicine Specialist
.................................................................
Brief Answer:
It's difficult to say...
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Whether it's a terrible idea or not can be judged only by the outcome. I can say that taking Warfarin after an injury that caused bleeding may be fatal. I can't confirm that this is the right mode of action though. The best thing to do would be a CT-scan of the brain.
If she was one of my patients and I knew that she had no other option, I might have instructed her to skip the Warfarin until everything seemed fine. I would have been very puzzled if she took Warfarin because of a metallic heart valve though.
I hope it helps.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis
Internal Medicine Specialist
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
OK Got it and thank you!
Brief Answer:
You're welcome.
Detailed Answer:
You're welcome, glad to help!
Regards,
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis
Internal Medicine Specialist
You're welcome.
Detailed Answer:
You're welcome, glad to help!
Regards,
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis
Internal Medicine Specialist
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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