Airway obstruction in a hemophiliac child

The hemophiliac patient is in constant danger of death from hemorrhage. The danger of bleeding into the submucosal areas of the upper aerodigestive tract, however, does not primarily lie in the blood loss but rather is due to compression and edema of the upper airway. The treatment of choice, in addition to the direct treatment for the specific clotting factor deficiency, is elective nasotracheal intubation, since in most cases this interstitial bleeding, resulting in airway compromise, recedes in four to five days.