Having surgery

The decision to operate on someone with haemophilia is never an easy one because of the risk of bleeding. An operation is usually needed in the following situations:

• In an emergency (e.g. for removal of an inflamed appendix). In these situations there may be no alternative to surgery and a skilled team of specialists will be needed in a short space of time.
• For a planned procedure either to extend life or to relieve suffering (e.g. tooth extraction, joint replacement).

In both situations, a haemophilia specialist will advise the surgical team and help to plan what blood tests are needed before surgery and how much clotting factor should be given during and after surgery. The patient will usually be referred to a haemophilia centre for follow-up on discharge from hospital.