Unlabeled Use of rFVIIa in Post Cardiac Surgery in Infants with Congenital Heart Disease: Pilot Study in One Institution

Background: Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) has been used as a “rescue” for patients with coagulopathies. Usage in normal persons had been implicated in bleedings after major surgeries like cardiac bypass surgeries. Only recently, few case reports were published to use rFVIIa in pediatric age group and even less in pediatric patients especially in younger ages with congenital heart diseases. Purpose: To report our experience in using rFVIIa as a “rescue” drug to control bleeding in infants who had cardiac bypass surgeries for congenital heart disease. Data Source: Medical records of ten pediatric patients who underwent cardiac bypass surgeries to repair various congenital heart diseases were randomly. Studied. The study is a Retrospective Pilot study. Results: Post cardiac bypass bleeding was not controlled effectively by rFVIIa alone in infant patients. Conclusion: Further studies are needed to clarify the role of rFVIIa in controlling bleeding.