Life-threatening subcutaneous hemorrhage following minor blunt trauma in an elderly patient taking ticlopidine and aspirin: a case report

We report a rare case in which life-threatening subcutaneous hemorrhage following minor blunt trauma developed in an elderly patient taking ticlopidine and aspirin. An 82-year-old woman taking ticlopidine and aspirin tripped on a road. She noted only mild pain at the left lower abdomen. However, the hematoma gradually enlarged, and she developed hemorrhagic shock. Emergently performed contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography showed a large hematoma (20×10×7 cm), including contrast extravasation, which was located beneath the skin of the left lower abdominal quadrant and within the external and internal oblique muscles. Emergency pelvic arteriography showed massive contrast extravasation from the left superficial iliac circumflex artery. Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) was successfully performed, using gelatin sponge pledgets and micro-size stainless steel coils. After TAE, hemodynamics stabilized. The patient was discharged uneventfully on day 12.