Severe acute respiratory failure due to a multifactorial diffuse alveolar haemorrhage

Abstract

Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage (DAH) is a life-threatening syndrome caused by infection, coagulation disorders or autoimmune diseases. We here report the case of an 81-year-old male subject affected by a multifactorial DAH, in which the bleeding was related to the administration of clopidogrel and warfarin, both implicated in the context of a polycythaemia. He developed a severe acute respiratory failure treated with a ventilatory support by means of a continuous positive airway pressure (C-PAP) therapy. An improvement of patient's clinical conditions was observed only after clopidogrel and warfarin discontinuation.