1-Desamino-8-D-arginine Vasopressin (Desmopressin) Shortens the Bleeding Time in Storage Pool Deficiency

Excerpt

Patients with congenital or acquired storage pool deficiency have a mild to moderately severe bleeding tendency, characterized by epistaxis; menorrhagia; easy bruising; and prolonged bleeding after tooth extractions, tonsillectomy, and other surgical procedures. Transfusion of normal platelets will correct the bleeding abnormality and is the treatment of choice when bleeding is life threatening. Repeated transfusions, however, often result in alloimmunization and therefore platelet transfusions are not used in minor bleeding.

Gerritsen and associates (1) gave cryoprecipitate to eight patients with storage pool deficiency and prolonged bleeding times. There was a transient partial correction of the bleeding time and surgery was