Hydroxyethyl starch induced acquired von Willebrand's disease

Abstract

Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) (Hespan, DuPont) is a widely used synthetic volume expander which in standard doses of up to 1.5l in 24 h has no significant effect on coagulation (Munsch et al. 1988). However, the data sheet states that in large volumes HES may alter the coagulation mechanism. We now report a case of HES induced acquired von Willebrand's disease (vWD) in which severe bleeding occurred.