Spinal subdural haematoma: a rare complication of low-molecular-weight heparin therapy

SY Chau, SC Tiu
Department of Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 30 Gascoigne Road, Hong Kong

A 52-year-old man presented with chest pain, diarrhoea, rash, and arthritis. The use of lowmolecular- weight heparin for suspected pulmonary embolism or angina led to a spinal subdural haematoma 3 days later. He was retrospectively confirmed to have Salmonella paratyphi infection. The clinical presentation and management of spinal subdural haematomas, and the incidence and manifestations of reactive arthritis related to Salmonella infections are briefly discussed.

Hong Kong Med J 2008;14:64-6

Key words: Hematoma, subdural; Heparin, lowmolecular- weight; Salmonella paratyphi