Approach to bleeding patient

Managing a bleeding patient is very challenging for the perioperative physician. Bleeding in a patient would be due to inherited or acquired disorders of haemostasis. Identifying the patients at risk of bleeding and utilising prophylactic treatment protocols has good outcomes. Along with clinical signs, trends in monitoring coagulation parameters and analysing blood picture are necessary. Management of patients in the postoperative period and in intensive care unit should be focused on normalization of coagulation profile as early as possible with available blood and its products. Available recombinant factors should be given priority as per the approved indications. Exploring the surgical site should be considered for persistent bleeding because haemodynamic compromise, excessive transfusion of fluids, blood and its products and more inotropic support may have a negative impact on the patient outcome.