Abstract
Thrombocytopenia, defined as a platelet count <150,000, is a common hematologic abnormality after major surgery, although the actual incidence is not reported in the literature. Generally, platelets >50,000 are not associated with significant bleeding. Spontaneous bleeding usually does not occur with platelets >20,000. Patients may have multiple possible causes of postoperative thrombocytopenia, some with grave consequences. It is important to distinguish between these etiologies for the individual patient and intervene early to prevent morbidity.
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References
George, J. Evaluation and management of thrombocytopenia by primary care physicians. In: UpToDate. Waltham, MA; Wolters Kluwer; 2012. http://www.uptodateonline.com. Last updated Nov 2013. Accessed Mar 2014.
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Kaplan, E. (2015). Thrombocytopenia. In: Jackson, M.B., Mookherjee, S., Hamlin, N.P. (eds) The Perioperative Medicine Consult Handbook. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09366-6_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09366-6_20
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