Korean J Hematol.  2009 Dec;44(4):294-297. 10.5045/kjh.2009.44.4.294.

A Case of Vancomycin-Induced Thrombocytopenia

• Lee JH
• Kim DS
• Lee HS
• Choi SI
• Cho YG

• KMID: 2252114
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5045/kjh.2009.44.4.294

Abstract

Immune thrombocytopenia is a rare complication associated with vancomycin. A 76-year-old male patient who was treated with vancomycin experienced severe thrombocytopenia and refractoriness as a result of platelet transfusion. Vancomycin-dependent antibodies in his thrombocytopenic serum were detected by flow cytometric analysis. The mechanism of thrombocytopenia is probably related to immunological destruction, as strongly suggested by its association with a specific drug-dependent anti-platelet antibody.

Keyword

Thrombocytopenia; Vancomycin; Drug-induced

MeSH Terms

Aged
Antibodies
Humans
Male
Platelet Transfusion
Thrombocytopenia
Vancomycin
Antibodies
Vancomycin

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1. The course of platelet count, transfusion, and the use of drugs. Thrombocytopenia was detected on day 11, and the use of vancomycin was discontinued on day 12. Abbreviations: HD, hospital day; IPF, immature platelet fraction; PC, platelet concentrates.

• 

  Fig. 2. The results of platelet immunofluorescence test using flow cytometry. The mixture of the patient's sera and serially-diluted vancomycin using drug-free saline in lower histograms generated a fluorescence intensity greater than the control sera in upper histograms. (A) Saline/sera mixture, (B) 1：100 diluted vancomy-cin/sera mixture.

Reference

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