Conjugated Estrogens for the Management of Gastrointestinal Bleeding Secondary to Uremia of Acute Renal Failure

• Published in: Pharmacotherapy Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 210 - 217
• Main Authors: Heunisch, Carol, Resnick, Daniel J., Vitello, Joseph M., Martin, Steven J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-01-1998; Pharmacotherapy
• Subjects: Acute Kidney Injury - complications; Biological and medical sciences; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) - therapeutic use; Fatal Outcome; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage - drug therapy; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage - etiology; Hemostatics - therapeutic use; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Uremia - complications; Urinary system; Kidney disease; Human; Desmopressin; Urinary system disease; Steroid hormone; Acute; Estrogen; Octreotide; Gastrointestinal; Case study; Renal failure; Combined treatment; Uremia
• ISSN: 0277-0008; 1875-9114
• DOI: 10.1002/j.1875-9114.1998.tb03841.x

Bleeding commonly occurs secondary to the uremia of acute and chronic renal failure. Hemodialysis is indicated for the management of uremic bleeding, and administration of red blood cells and cryoprecipitate is also helpful. Desmopressin successfully reduces the bleeding tendency in patients with chronic renal failure for short‐term operations or procedures, but the frequency of tachyphylaxis is high and limits the drug's usefulness for major bleeds. Conjugated estrogens shorten bleeding times in uremia and may provide a more sustained hemostatic effect over desmopressin. A patient with acute renal failure and uncontrolled gastrointestinal bleeding was successfully treated with conjugated estrogens after failing desmopressin and octreotide therapy.