Friday March 2, 2007
Vancomycin induced thrombocytopenia

So far Vancomycin was not blamed for thromboctopenia but this week in The New England Journal of Medicine, case series of 34 patients with vancomycin induced thrombocytopenia has been reported. The mean nadir platelet count was 13.6, with severe bleeding reported in 10 patients. Drug-dependent, platelet-reactive antibodies of the IgG class, the IgM class, or both were identified.

Platelet levels returned to baseline after vancomycin was stopped.


Related previous pearl: Vancomycin-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome



Reference: click to get abstract

Vancomycin-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia - Volume 356:904-910, The New England Journal of Medicine, March 1, 2007, number 9