Reversal of thrombocytopenia and bleeding tendency in a preterm neonate with recombinant activated factor VII: case report

A male neonate, born at 26 weeks of postmenstrual age, with intracranial hemorrhage grade IV and thoracic drainage for artificial tension pneumothorax on day 6 of his life is presented. Despite prior transfusions, the preprocedural hemogram showed marked anemia and thrombocytopenia. To reverse thrombocytopenia and to avoid volume overload, the patient was administered 110 microg kg(-1) of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) and drainage of the pneumothorax was performed uneventfully.