The Center of Excellence in Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CETH) of College of Medicine, King Saud University in Riyadh, in collaboration with Orthopedic Surgery Research Chair, recently held a major event for the management of bleeding disorders.

Entitled "Current practices in thrombosis and hemostasis-2013," the 3-day event embraced scientific gathering where keynote speakers and experts from Saudi Arabia, GCC, Egypt, India, Europe, the United States and Canada discussed scientific papers on bleeding disorders and hemophilia.

During the event, major orthopedic surgeries were carried out by local and international experts, including joint replacements and constructive procedures for patients with hemophilia A, hemophilia B and Von Willebrand disease.

“This event provided specialized insights into the proper management of bleeding disorders at both micro and macro levels alike. It comprised practical and hands-on workshops to educate hemophilia and other bleeding disorder patients, and helped them understand their disease and properly deal with it in day-to-day life at home,” said Professor Abdul Kareem Al-Momen, CETH director. “It played a crucial role in training patients as well as medical and paramedical staff on the management of the disease at different situations from various perspectives,” added Professor Al-Momen.

Thrombosis and hemostasis are global problems with high prevalence among both men and women of all ages. Studies on the Saudi population have demonstrated high prevalence of venous and arterial thromboembolic as well as bleeding disorders with high rate of morbidity and mortality.

Commenting on the complications of hemophilia Dr. Tarek Owaidah, highlighted that few decades ago, children with hemophilia had significantly reduced life expectancy and crippled with arthritis and joint deformity, however with the introduction of new biotechnologically advanced treatment options hemophilic patients faced a few limitations and became more active members in the society closed to normal with increased life expectancy.