Clotting Disorders & Transfusion Safety

Thrombocytopenia (low platelets) increases bleeding risk — nursing precautions include using a soft-bristled toothbrush, avoiding IM injections and rectal temperatures/suppositories when possible, applying prolonged pressure after any puncture, and fall-prevention. Hemophilia is a genetic clotting-factor deficiency causing prolonged bleeding, particularly into joints, and is managed with factor replacement. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a paradoxical, dangerous condition where widespread clotting consumes the body's clotting factors and platelets, leading to simultaneous inappropriate clotting and severe bleeding — it's a medical emergency, often triggered by sepsis, trauma, or obstetric complications, and treatment addresses the underlying cause while supporting with blood products.