The bleeding neonate

Serious bleeding episodes in newborn infants can usually be diagnosed following careful clinical assessment and a few simple laboratory tests. Certain conditions are found almost exclusively in 'sick' infants, whereas other coagulation abnormalities occur in otherwise 'healthy' neonates. Successful management of hemorrhage necessitates a correct diagnosis which thereby dictates appropriate therapy. In some cases, such as in DIC, successful outcome ultimately depends on correction of the underlying pathophysiology which triggered the coagulation disturbance.