Source
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA. rpauldi1@jhmi.edu
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Report an unusual cause of thrombocytopenia in a burn patient and provide a brief review of causes of thrombocytopenia in critically ill patients.
METHODS:
Case report format and selected review of PubMed search including the search terms thrombocytopenia, critical illness, and vancomycin.
RESULTS:
Reports of vancomycin-induced thrombocytopenia are uncommon.
CONCLUSION:
Drug-induced thrombocytopenia is a rare but important consideration in the evaluation of thrombocytopenia in critically ill patients. An increasing number of patients are treated with potentially causative agents including vancomycin and the diagnosis may be easily overlooked.