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DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1579657
Why Do Patients Bleed?
Publication History
02 November 2015
01 February 2016
Publication Date:
24 February 2016 (online)
![](https://www.thieme-connect.de/media/10.1055-s-00028781/201601/lookinside/thumbnails/10-1055-s-0036-1579657_1500040re-1.jpg)
Abstract
Patients undergoing surgical procedures can bleed for a variety of reasons. Assuming that the surgical procedure has progressed well and that the surgeon can exclude surgical reasons for the unexpected bleeding, then the bleeding may be due to structural (anatomical) anomalies or disorders, recent drug intake, or disorders of hemostasis, which may be acquired or congenital. The current review aims to provide an overview of reasons that patients bleed in the perioperative setting, and it also provides guidance on how to screen for these conditions, through consideration of appropriate patient history and examination prior to surgical intervention, as well as guidance on investigating and managing the cause of unexpected bleeding.
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