Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation With Purpura Fulminans Presentation of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

A 47-year-old male presented to the emergency department with 12 hours of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and a widespread skin eruption with mottled, irregular, purpuric lesions with subsequent rapid decompensation. Laboratory analysis revealed thrombocytopenia, bandemia, elevated metamyelocytes,...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Douglas Ader, Muhammad Durrani, Eric Blazar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eScholarship Publishing, University of California 2019-11-01
Series:Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine
Online Access:https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5rz1t8qg
Description
Summary:A 47-year-old male presented to the emergency department with 12 hours of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and a widespread skin eruption with mottled, irregular, purpuric lesions with subsequent rapid decompensation. Laboratory analysis revealed thrombocytopenia, bandemia, elevated metamyelocytes, abnormal coagulation panel, decreased fibrinogen, elevated fibrin split products, renal dysfunction, bacterial rods, dohle bodies, and toxic granulation. Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML) was confirmed via bone marrow biopsy, flow cytometry, and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) may be the initial presentation of APML. When treated promptly, APML can achieve high remission rates; however, conditions such as DIC continue to increase mortality requiring early recognition to improve survival rates.
ISSN:2474-252X