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Managing Hemophilia Hemophilia Treatment: Selecting An ER

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For people with hemophilia, the following tips can help you in selecting emergency treatment:1

  • If you have access to more than one emergency room, you can plan ahead by selecting the ER that will best meet your needs.
  • Call your hemophilia treatment center and ask for the name and location of the emergency rooms in your area. Your treatment center can recommend hospitals that are most familiar with treating hemophilia.
  • Find out whether the hospital has a "fast track"—a process for making sure that the sickest or most badly injured people are treated first. Then, learn how to get on the "fast track" if you have a serious bleed.

Preparing ER Personnel For Treating Hemophilia2

Emergency room (ER) physicians and personnel may not be familiar with emergency hemophilia treatment. If you or your loved one was been diagnosed with hemophilia, you can help ER personnel by:

  • Providing hemophilia information and education.
  • Scheduling a "pre-emergency" appointment with the emergency department's medical and nursing directors.
  • Giving your primary care physician a letter that confirms your blood disorder diagnosis and explains the hemophilia facts and offers guidelines for hemophilia treatment.
  • Educating ER staff about hemophilia blood disorders. Emphasize the need for early treatment to prevent joint damage. Bring along educational brochures or pamphlets from your treatment center.
  • Bringing a copy of the latest guidelines for emergency care developed by the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council of NHF. For a copy of the MASAC guidelines, visit the NHF website (www.hemophilia.org).

Additional hemophilia facts for emergency treatment:

  • If you infuse at home, it's important to follow your physician's recommendations about receiving factor before you go to the ER.
  • It may take a few hours in the ER before a treatment is received. Bring along the empty vials, boxes, and package inserts.

Note: ThereForYou.com does not recommend a particular treatment for specific individuals and recommends that you consult your treatment center or physician before pursuing any course of treatment.

Note: Links to external Websites are provided for your convenience. However, they lead to Websites not created, managed, or maintained by Baxter Healthcare Corporation. Baxter is not responsible for, and does not necessarily endorse, the opinions or therapeutics represented on these external pages.

References

  1. A Child’s Best Advocate: Smoothing The Road To The ER. Vanderbilt Medical Center website. http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/vhtc/patients2.html. Accessed June 8, 2011.
  2. The Emergency Room: Prepare To Succeed. Canadian Hemophilia Society website. http://www.hemophilia.ca/files/er2.pdf. Accessed June 8, 2011.