title: Surgery for hemophilia in developing countries.
abstract: Surgical interventions in patients with hemophilia (PWH) in the developing world are difficult in the setting of limited availability of factor concentrates. Although the adequacy of international guidelines for factor concentrate prophylaxis for PWH undergoing surgery has been established, frequently it is not practical in the developing world. These recommendations were not established based on large clinical trials and fail to define the safe lower limit of factor concentrate prophylaxis for surgery. The need to define these lower limits is essential in the developing world so that the limited resources may be used optimally for the cohort of PWH. There are limited data from the developing world with regard to PWH undergoing surgical procedures. In this article, we outline experience from our institution, a tertiary referral center for hemophilia care in India. We trace the basis on which our current factor concentrate prophylaxis regimen (which is lower than that recommended internationally) was established. In our experience our low-dose protocols are effective, reduce factor consumption by one third, and are not associated with a significantly increased risk of delayed hemorrhage. We hope that this experience will form a framework on which guidelines can be established for developing countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Vikram
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.forename: Auro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viswabandya
authors.forename: Shoma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baidya
authors.forename: Biju
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Sukesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: Mammen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chandy
authors.forename: Alok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Srivastava
mesh_terms: D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000191:economics; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000150:complications* / Q000191:economics / Q000276:immunology; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D011292:Premedication / Q000191:economics; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors