Summary

Substantial progress in the understanding of the coagulationand fibrinolytic systems in neonates and infants hasbeen made over the past two decades. Paediatric haemostasisdiffers from that in adults, offering some protection againstthrombotic manifestations in the healthy paediatric individual(1-3). Venous and arterial thromboses are rare diseases whichare, however, being increasingly diagnosed and recognised alsoin infancy and childhood (2, 4, 5). Thrombus formation andthrombus growth are the result of local coagulation activationcombined with a disturbance in the balance between pro- andanti-coagulant mechanisms, leading to a prothrombotic state inthe affected paediatric patient. Numerous clinical and environmentalfactors have been reported to result in elevated thrombingeneration with subsequent thrombus formation in infancy andchildhood. In addition, in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstratedthat components of the haemostatic system differbetween neonates, infants and adults (1, 3). . . .