title: A Case of Acute Upper Airway Obstruction in a Pediatric Hemophilia A Patient Because of Spontaneous Retropharyngeal Hemorrhage.
abstract: We report a rare case of acute upper airway obstruction caused by spontaneous retropharyngeal hemorrhage as a result of hemophilia A in a 16-year-old pediatric patient who routinely received factor VIII replacement. Initial diagnosis was delayed because the patient presented with symptoms, such as throat pain and odynophagia, similar to those of common benign upper airway infections. Within 2 days of the initial presentation of symptoms, the patient went into respiratory failure as a result of retropharyngeal hemorrhage. The possibility of spontaneous retropharyngeal or epiglottic hemorrhage or hematoma should be considered as a cause of rapidly progressing odynophagia and dyspnea by hemophilia patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Asklepios Klinik Sankt Augustin, German Pediatric Heart Center, Sankt Augustin, Germany. Electronic address: t.yamamoto@asklepios.com.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Asklepios Klinik Sankt Augustin, German Pediatric Heart Center, Sankt Augustin, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Niemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Asklepios Klinik Sankt Augustin, German Pediatric Heart Center, Sankt Augustin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ehrenfried
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schindler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006467:Hemophilia A; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006472:Oral Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D005169:Factor VIII