Patients with disorders of hemostasis are subject to long term problems and risks, difficult treatment decisions and risks associated with treatment itself. Many of these risks and complications can be lessened or prevented by appropriate intervention strategies. Advances in the management of patients with bleeding disorders and those requiring transfusions require: 1) that clinical studies utilize a multi-institutional cooperative network in order to accrue sufficient numbers of patients to achieve meaningful answers;and 2) that patients receive specialized clinical care while participating in such trials. The Transfusion Medicine/Hemostasis (TMH) Clinical Trials Network was initiated in October, 2002. Tulane University Health Sciences Center is one of the 17 core sites that comprise the clinical trials network. The Tulane core site was developed using the basic infrastructure and services of the Louisiana Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders which cares for over 400 patients with disorders of hemostasis, and serves a role in the accrual of patients with bleeding disorders as well as in their clinical care .while participating in clinical trials. In addition, the Tulane Bone Marrow Transplant Unit plays an important role in the implementation of transfusion medicine trials at the Tulane site. The PI and Co-Pi's from the Tulane site have played an integral role in the development of the network during it's initial 5 year period, and in the development and implementation of network studies. The purpose of this project at the Tulane site is to continue full participation in TMH network activities, both in the implementation of trials developed during the initial grant period as well as in the development of new protocols to be implemented in the network during the second 5 year award period.
