===== 🩸 Bleeding Complications ===== ===== Gastrointestinal bleeding ===== [[Gastrointestinal bleeding]]. ==== 📌 Definition ==== Bleeding [[complication]]s refer to **hemorrhagic events** ==== 🧩 Classification ==== ^ Type ^ Description ^ Clinical Impact ^ | **[[Superficial bleeding]]** | [[Subgaleal hematoma]], wound bleeding | Often self-limited, may require drainage | | **[[Epidural hematoma]]** | Blood collection between dura and skull | Can cause mass effect, requires urgent evacuation | | **[[Subdural hematoma]]** | Blood between dura and arachnoid | May be acute or delayed, surgical or conservative management | | **[[Intracerebral hemorrhage]]** | Hemorrhage within brain parenchyma | May be due to vessel injury, coagulation issue; often severe | | **Rebleeding at surgical site** | Reaccumulation of blood at resection cavity | May need re-craniotomy or intensive care | ==== 📊 Risk Factors ==== * Intraoperative vessel injury * Inadequate hemostasis * Use of anticoagulants or antiplatelets * Coagulopathy (e.g., thrombocytopenia, liver disease) * **[[NSAID]] use (theoretical concern)** * Hypertension in the immediate postoperative period ==== ❗ Bleeding Requiring Surgical Intervention ==== Defined as any postoperative hemorrhage that necessitates **reoperation** for evacuation or decompression. ^ Criteria may include: ^ - Neurological deterioration - Midline shift or mass effect on imaging - Persistent or increasing hematoma - Raised intracranial pressure (ICP) ==== 🔬 NSAIDs and Bleeding Risk ==== Recent evidence (e.g., Cardoso et al., *Neurosurgery* 2025): * No statistically significant increase in: - All bleeding events (RR 1.05; 95% CI: 0.58–1.93) - Surgical reintervention (RR 1.27; 95% CI: 0.51–3.16) * Suggests NSAIDs may be **safe for analgesia** post-craniotomy when used judiciously ==== 📌 Monitoring ==== * Daily neurological examination * Blood pressure control * Early postoperative imaging (CT/MRI) * Hemoglobin levels and coagulation profile