title: Dental extraction in a child with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura: are preoperative platelet transfusions necessary?
abstract: Thresholds for platelet counts in patients at risk for bleeding are often used before surgery. We present a case report of a 13-year-old female with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura for dental extraction with a platelet count of 4 × 10 L. Usually, therapies including platelet infusions, IV immunoglobulin, or corticosteroids would be used to increase platelet numbers. In this patient, rather than using any of these prophylactic therapies preoperatively, we used a "watchful waiting" strategy with a multidisciplinary team, the use of tranexamic acid and the aforementioned therapies available only as "rescue" agents.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of *Anesthesia and †Hematology, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Australia.
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tay
authors.forename: Ferenc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Szabo
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spain