Fatal hemorrhage from minor trauma following massive salicylate ingestion.

The anticoagulant property of aspirin has long been appreciated. Recently, the physiologic mechanism has been identified and documented extensively. Despite the long-lasting inhibition of platelet function and clinically significant postoperative hemorrhage following aspirin use, few serious complications or fatalities are reported in the current literature. We report a case in which fatal hemorrhage resulted from minor trauma following massive salicylate ingestion. A review of the cyclo-oxygenase mechanism is presented.