EMERGENCY TRACHEOSTOMY IN HEMOPHILIA.

Abstract

ONE OF THE most acute hazards a hemophiliac faces is fatal asphyxia developing from hemorrhage into the sublingual and paratracheal tissues. Tracheostomy as an emergency procedure may be lifesaving. Review of the literature discloses fatalities, successes, and difference of opinion concerning management. Meticulous surgery and attempts to correct the bleeding disorder with fresh-frozen plasma, antihemophilic globulin, or fresh blood necessary. Report of a Case History.— This boy was born prematurely in 1951 weighing 4 lb, 14 oz (2,216 gm). The maternal grandfather and a male cousin had hemophilia, so circumcision was not done. Two months later, because of foreskin retraction with persistent oozing, the infant required hospitalization and 150 ml of group B, Rh-positive blood. Readmission for blood transfusion was required nine days later because of recurrent bleeding. A diagnosis of thromboplastin deficiency was made in 1952 and the patient was further treated in 1957 and 1958 with a number