Imputabilité d’une mise en jeu du pronostic vital à un inhibiteur spécifique de la thrombine

We present the case of a 73-year-old man, operated on for paralyzing sciatica, who displayed acute postoperative respiratory distress and intra-alveolar haemorrhage following the administration of dabigatran etexilate, a new oral antithrombin used in the prevention of venous thromboembolism. This serious incident occurred in a patient who had a 20-year history of chronic thrombocytopenia (platelet level at 100 G/l) and a heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and in whom no other aetiology was found (tuberculosis, pneumorenal syndrome, etc.). The postoperative prevention of thromboembolic events in a patient with high risk bleeding requires intensive monitoring, notably, when prescribing new drugs such as new anticoagulant agents.