Women and girls with haemophilia and bleeding tendencies: Outcomes related to menstruation, pregnancy, surgery and other bleeding episodes from a retrospective chart review.

INTRODUCTION: Women or girls with haemophilia (WGH) represent a group of female symptomatic carriers who experience bleeding events more frequently than non-carriers. Bleeding events include spontaneous/traumatic bleeds and prolonged bleeding related to surgery, menstruation and pregnancy. Challenges for the treatment of WGH include lack of screening, diagnosis and treatment guidelines. AIM: Evaluate clinical characteristics, haemostasis management and clinical outcomes regarding menstruation, childbirth, dental procedures, surgeries and other bleeding events in WGH. METHODS: A retrospective, non-interventional review of medical records from WGH among three haemophilia treatment centres (HTCs) was conducted in the United States (2012-2018). Patients with ≥2 visits to the HTC and who had undergone intervention for haemostasis management with the outcome documented were included. Descriptive statistics were used. RESULTS: Of 47 women and girls included in the chart review (37 with factor VIII deficiency, 10 with factor IX deficiency), median age at diagnosis was 22.6 years. Approximately 79% (n = 37) were diagnosed with mild haemophilia. Events of interest were primarily managed by factor concentrates or antifibrinolytics. Most treatment approaches were successful across clinical scenarios, except for heavy menstrual bleeding being insufficiently controlled in 8 (57%) of the 14 patients who experienced it. CONCLUSIONS: Bleeding events in WGH, such as excessive and prolonged bleeding during menstruation, demonstrate a unique burden and require specific medical intervention. These results highlight the importance of assessing the need for haemostasis management in WGH and may contribute to future prospective study designs.

Comparative effectiveness of post-discharge interventions for hospitalized smokers: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: A hospital admission offers smokers an opportunity to quit. Smoking cessation counseling provided in the hospital is effective, but only if it continues for more than one month after discharge. Providing smoking cessation medication at discharge may add benefit to counseling. A major barrier to translating this research into clinical practice is sustaining treatment during the transition to outpatient care. An evidence-based, practical, cost-effective model that facilitates the continuation of tobacco treatment after discharge is needed. This paper describes the design of a comparative effectiveness trial testing a hospital-initiated intervention against standard care. METHODS/DESIGN: A two-arm randomized controlled trial compares the effectiveness of standard post-discharge care with a multi-component smoking cessation intervention provided for three months after discharge. Current smokers admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital who receive bedside smoking cessation counseling, intend to quit after discharge and are willing to consider smoking cessation medication are eligible. Study participants are recruited following the hospital counseling visit and randomly assigned to receive Standard Care or Extended Care after hospital discharge. Standard Care includes a recommendation for a smoking cessation medication and information about community resources. Extended Care includes up to three months of free FDA-approved smoking cessation medication and five proactive computerized telephone calls that use interactive voice response technology to provide tailored motivational messages, offer additional live telephone counseling calls from a smoking cessation counselor, and facilitate medication refills. Outcomes are assessed at one, three, and six months after hospital discharge. The primary outcomes are self-reported and validated seven-day point prevalence tobacco abstinence at six months. Other outcomes include short-term and sustained smoking cessation, post-discharge utilization of smoking cessation treatment, hospital readmissions and emergency room visits, and program cost per quit. DISCUSSION: This study tests a disseminable smoking intervention model for hospitalized smokers. If effective and widely adopted, it could help to reduce population smoking rates and thereby reduce tobacco-related mortality, morbidity, and health care costs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: United States Clinical Trials Registry NCT01177176.