[Hemophilia and anesthesia]

Abstract

Background and objectives: For more than 25 years, there has been no discussion in the Brazilian Journal of Anesthesiology about hemophiliac patients' perioperative management. Hemophilia has been described as a disease from the early 19th Century, but still today there are many hemophilia-related breakthroughs. This review aimed at pointing hemophilia patient-related perioperative care, focusing on hemophilia A management and the role of the anesthesiologist as part of the multidisciplinary team.

Contents: Hemophilia features are described in terms of clinical and laboratory findings, current pharmacological therapy and intraoperative care of hemophilia patients.

Conclusions: Hemophiliac patients management has improved. As a consequence of this advance, it is important that new knowledge, especially related to replacement therapy, be mastered not only by hematologists but also by the whole clinical-surgical team. A multidisciplinary team of which the anesthesiologist is part has to be involved when hemophilia patients are submitted to surgical procedures. The anesthesiologist should be in charge of adopting most adequate approaches for hemophilia patients, actively participating and communicating with the members of the multidisciplinary team.