Porcine factor VIII and plasmapheresis in the management of hemophiliac patients with inhibitors

Abstract

Management of hemophiliac patients with inhibitors can be a difficult problem. We report here a patient with severe hemophilia A, a high titer inhibitor, and an abdominal abscess requiring surgery. Despite significant cross reactivity of the inhibitor with porcine FVIII, he was successfully managed with plasmapheresis and porcine FVIII infusions. Other approaches to the management of such patients are briefly reviewed.