title: Prospective audit of patients with haemophilia: bleeding episodes and management.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Haemophilia is a congenital bleeding disorder that requires replacement of factor VIII (haemophilia A) or factor IX (haemophilia B) via intravenous infusions. Children can either be treated with prophylactic treatment to prevent bleeding or be managed with on-demand therapy and treat specific bleeding episodes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this paper was to prospectively follow a cohort of haemophilia patients to determine the incidence of bleeding, re-bleeding, re-treatment and adjunct management over a period of 5 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-six boys with haemophilia were followed. Age range was 10 months to 19 years; 70% of patients had severe haemophilia and 38 (58%) of all patients were on prophylaxis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine patients experienced at least one episode of bleeding during study period which included 70 home bleeding episodes and 20 emergency department (ED) presentations. Secondary treatments occurred in 38% of all bleeding episodes. The incidence of re-bleeds occurring within 3 weeks of the initial bleeding episode was 11%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further study focusing on optimising treatment regimes for patients with haemophilia presenting with bleeding episodes is necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barnett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019468:Disease Management; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D002836:Hemophilia B / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult