Table 2.

Massachusetts General Hospital pathway for treatment of infectious purpura fulminans

Days of presentationLaboratory monitoringTreatment
Intravenous UFHFFPCryoprecipitatePC replacementAntithrombin concentrate
0-3 • Complete blood count
• D-dimer or fibrin split products
• Fibrinogen
• PT and aPTT
• Anti-Xa (while on UFH)
• Antithrombin, PC, and PS activities 
80  U/kg bolus followed by 18  U/kg/h, targeting anti-Xa 0.3-0.7  U/mL 2 units followed by 1 unit every 4 hours 10 units, targeting fibrinogen ≥100  mg/dL PC concentrate 100  U/kg or prothrombin complex concentrate 25-50  U/kg, targeting PC activity >80% 85  U/kg, targeting antithrombin activity >80% 
4-5 1 unit every 6 hours 
6-7 1 unit every 8 hours 
• Consider intravenous vitamin K 5  mg at the time of presentation
• In patients on anticoagulation, platelets may be transfused to maintain platelet count ≥30 000/µL, but platelets should not be transfused in absence of anticoagulation or bleeding 
• For acute infectious purpura fulminans: broad-spectrum antibiotics with coverage against Neisseria meningitidis and other encapsulated organisms as well as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus until a culprit microorganism is identified 
Days of presentationLaboratory monitoringTreatment
Intravenous UFHFFPCryoprecipitatePC replacementAntithrombin concentrate
0-3 • Complete blood count
• D-dimer or fibrin split products
• Fibrinogen
• PT and aPTT
• Anti-Xa (while on UFH)
• Antithrombin, PC, and PS activities 
80  U/kg bolus followed by 18  U/kg/h, targeting anti-Xa 0.3-0.7  U/mL 2 units followed by 1 unit every 4 hours 10 units, targeting fibrinogen ≥100  mg/dL PC concentrate 100  U/kg or prothrombin complex concentrate 25-50  U/kg, targeting PC activity >80% 85  U/kg, targeting antithrombin activity >80% 
4-5 1 unit every 6 hours 
6-7 1 unit every 8 hours 
• Consider intravenous vitamin K 5  mg at the time of presentation
• In patients on anticoagulation, platelets may be transfused to maintain platelet count ≥30 000/µL, but platelets should not be transfused in absence of anticoagulation or bleeding 
• For acute infectious purpura fulminans: broad-spectrum antibiotics with coverage against Neisseria meningitidis and other encapsulated organisms as well as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus until a culprit microorganism is identified 

UFH, unfractionated heparin.

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