spontaneous bruises....a part of cardiac disease?

[rikkitick]

My 82 year old husband had a stent placed in his heart two years ago. He has taken Plavix for two years with no significant bruising. All of a suddent his left arm is spontaneously bruising, a new one pretty much every day. They are the size of the top of a can to a silver dollar. Much of the rest of his arm is darkened, with the look of a minor bruise. Is this normal or the sign of arteries or veins thinning or weakening? This is a tough disease to anticipate.
thanks for any info.
b

[kenkeith]

The risk of taking any anti-platelet medication is excessive bleeding.  The bruising as you indicate is the result of easy bleeding within the tissues.  It may be something the prescribing doctor should know. Yes, it could be the anatomy of the vessels have changed and are now more vulnerable to rupture.  It would be a serious condition if there is internal bleeding, and that should be a concern to be considered.

My brother-in-law fell and hit his head on a hard surface, and the bleeding in the brain caused his demise.  If not on any anti-platelet med, the doctor said the accident would only be a bump on the head.

[ChatterAlly]

All I have to do is run my arm across something the wrong way and I have a bruise.  Is your husband also on aspirin therapy?  This adds to that problem also.  I think a big problem with the bruising in my case is the fact that my skin is thinning also.  Most of the time I have cuts on my arms as well. Take care, Ally