High-Dose 4-Factor Prothrombin Complex Concentrate for Warfarin-Induced Intracranial Hemorrhage

The ideal dosing regimen of 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4FPCC) after warfarin-induced intracranial hemorrhage (WICH) remains unclear. We sought to compare the safety and efficacy of the 4FPCC package insert dosing strategy (standard dose [SD]) with our institutional guideline for high-dose (HD) 4FPCC for patients with WICH.

We compared the percentage of SD and HD patients who achieved an international normalized ratio (INR) ≤1.3 at a single institution between January 2014 and July 2017. Additionally, we assessed hematoma expansion, recurrence of INR > 1.3, and occurrence of thrombotic events within 7 days of 4FPCC administration.

Of 48 patients with WICH, 30 received SD and 18 received HD. The median baseline INR was 2.5 (2.0-3.8) for SD patients and 3.3 (2.5-5) for HD patients (P = .147). Successful achievement of an INR ≤ 1.3 after the initial 4FPCC dose was obtained in 70% of patients in the SD group and 94% of patients in the HD group (P = .124). A higher percentage of patients in the SD group had an INR > 1.3 at some point after admission (30% vs 6%; P = .053). There was a trend toward more hematoma expansion in the SD group, but this was not statistically significant (17% in the SD group vs 0% in HD group; P = .056). There were 2 thrombotic events: one deep vein thrombosis in each group (P = .243).

High-dose 4FPCC appears to be more effective at lowering INR and preventing bleed expansion in patients with WICH, while maintaining a similar safety profile.