Experiences in a Coagulation Referral Clinic in Bristol

A seven year old boy underwent routine tonsillectomy. The operation was complicated by catastrophic haemorrhage. The screening tests?Prothrombin Time (PT) and Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) were normal. He was treated empirically with fresh frozen plasma but bleeding continued. Bilateral carotid ligation was ultimately required to arrest haemorrhage. He was subsequently referred to this hospital for investigation. We elicted from his mother a history of easy bruising, menorrhagia and post-partum haemorrhage. The boy also had a history of bruising. However, he had undergone adenoidectomy at four years without excessive blood loss. Both he and his mother were found to have von Willebrand's