Use of recombinant factor VIIa in surgery in factor-VII-deficient patients

Patients suffering from severe factor VII deficiency may present with serious bleeding problems. No clear guidelines exist regarding therapy in such patients in case of a large bleeding or surgery. Indeed, it has been postulated that some patients with severe factor VII deficiency may never present with overt bleeding problems. However, in factor-VII-deficient patients who have previously demonstrated a clinical tendency to bleed, surgery is expected to cause excessive bleeding. We present two females suffering from a severe factor VII deficiency (FVII:C < 0.01 U mL(-1) ) with a distinct history of haemorrhagic diathesis. Due to recurrent bleeding in the past, or for circumstantial reasons, surgery was demanded over a 4-year period on a total of seven occasions. To assist haemostasis during and after joint surgery on five occasions and for embolization and subsequent removal of a large haemangioma of the occipital region, recombinant factor VIIa (NovoSeven) was utilized in doses approximating 20 μg kg(-1) b.w. every 6 h beginning immediately before surgery and continued until 30 h to 13 days postoperatively, depending of the size of the respective procedure. Using this approach, we observed normal haemostasis, and there were no signs of excessive postoperative bleeding or wound haematoma. No adverse reactions or side-effects were observed, and there were no complaints or clinical signs indicative of thrombotic complications. As judged from the clinical course of these seven minor and major surgeries, recombinant factor VIIa appears to be highly efficaceous and safe in the treatment patients with severe factor VII deficiency undergoing surgery.