Perioperative management of Glanzmann's syndrome: how we did it!

Thrombasthenia Glanzmann, named after the Swiss paediatrician Eduard Glanzmann (1887-1959), is a rare disease of platelet dysfunction. This disease is characterized by a deficiency or defect of the fibrinogen receptor (GPIIb-IIIa) on the platelet surface. The GPIIb-IIIa receptor has an essential function in the adhesion and aggregation of the platelets. The platelets of these patients cannot bind fibrinogen and aggregation does not occur. Patients have a severe lifelong risk of bleeding, especially during surgical procedures. These patients require a special perioperative regimen for an adequate function of the coagulation system to prevent intraoperative and postoperative bleeding. In this study, we present the perioperative management of a patient with thrombasthenia Glanzmann during elective inguinal hernia repair.