What does rectal bleeding and irregular heartbeats suggest?

Posted on Sat, 16 May 2015

Question: My husband started bleeding a lot from his rectum while travelling---he takes cumadin for irregular heartbeat and to prevent clots; what should I do when he gets home, besides calling the ER and taking him there?

Answered by Dr. Rishi (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Get him examined and you could change the Coumadin.

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX
Is this the first time he has had any bleeding since he is on Coumadin?
Due to the irregular heartbeat, the Coumadin cannot be stopped.
You should consult a Surgeon who can examine him to know the cause of the bleeding whether there are hemorrhoids or a Fissure-in-ano, etc. Treating the cause of the bleeding is what is required.
If the bleeding still continues you could change the Coumadin to drugs that have a lower risk of bleeding like Rivaroxaban(Xarelto). For that you will have to discuss with your Doctor who started the Coumadin.
Do let us know if there are other queries that we can address.
Take care,
Dr Rishi, New XXXXXXX XXXXXXX

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Neel Kudchadkar