Tranexamic acid in the treatment of Kasabach-Merritt syndrome in infants

Kasabach-Merritt syndrome (thrombocytopenia, consumption coagulopathy, and, occasionally, microangiopathic hemolysis) is an infrequent but often lethal complication of giant capillary hemangiomas in the infant. We report the clinical course of an infant who came to us with this syndrome shortly after birth. She was successfully treated with transfusions of blood products, high-dose oral prednisone, and a fibrinolytic inhibitor, tranexamic acid. No complications of the treatment occurred. The hematological abnormalities resolved completely by 2 years of age. Although prednisone may have been necessary for stabilization and involution of the hemangioma, the addition of tranexamic acid allowed earlier tapering of the steroid therapy and fewer transfusions. Tranexamic acid was extremely well tolerated in this newborn.