Rivaroxaban and retropharyngeal haemorrhage

Haemorrhage is a well-known and accepted complication of anticoagulation. A retropharyngeal haemorrhage (RH) is a rare condition that without prompt recognition and management may result in fatal complications. We report a case of RH in a 67-year-old man anticoagulated with rivaroxaban for atrial fibrillation. The patient presented to the emergency department, with a two-day history of atraumatic right-sided neck swelling and associated progressive odynophagia, dysphagia and dysphonia. Rivaroxaban is a potent new oral anticoagulant that has been approved for use by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) but still has no approved reversal agent. Despite its rarity, an RH is a potentially life threatening complication of anticoagulation that must be carefully considered. This is especially true for a drug that cannot be easily reversed. We present a discussion of this case presentation with possible differential diagnoses and a review of the literature, and recommend the use of Capp's triad as a diagnostic criterion.