Do terms like “coagulopathy,” “bleeding diathesis,” and “disseminated intravascular coagulation” make your blood boil? Hear a case study of Severus S, a 38-year-old chemist, whose friends joke that he is “half-blooded” because of his tendency to bleed. After a review of the normal mechanisms of hemostasis, we will apply our understanding to identify the pathophysiology underlying acquired and inherited bleeding diathesis, while evaluating his complaints. We will order labs and diagnostic studies; formulate a diagnosis; and develop a management plan for Mr. S. By the end of our lesson, you too will be a wizard with coagulopathies.

Pol-Andre Senecal, MSN, NP, CNS, ACNP, CCNS; Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist, Pulmonary Vascular Medicine, University of Colorado Hospital; Aurora CO