For acute care physicians , the current approach and disease indications for treatment with anticoagulants are particularly relevant. When a patient treated with anticoagulants presents to the emergency department, intensive care unit, or operating room with severe, uncontrolled bleeding, the achievement of rapid controlled hemostasis is extremely important to saving the patient’s life.

Detailed discussion regarding the current treatment of critically-ill or critically-injured patients with life-threatening bleeding that present to the ED or critical care unit.

Management of severe bleeding in patients taking oral anticoagulants is complicated. Acute care physicians must be knowledgeable about the individual oral anticoagulant agents, the general management of anticoagulant-associated bleeding, and the strategies for effective use of factor repletion and specific reversal agents.