Komansky Children's Hospital

Specialized Pediatric Hematology Programs

NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital is home to several specialized programs focusing on the care of children with benign blood disorders.

Platelet Disorders

Parents from across the country and around the world bring their children to us for our expertise in treating immune/idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and other platelet disorders.

  • We treat children with acute (short-term) problems using standard therapies, while those with chronic conditions receive more complex, ongoing therapy.
  • We offer innovative therapies whose use in children we pioneered. For example, we set the standard for the use in children of romiplastin (Nplate®) and eltrombopag (Promacta®), which promote the production of platelets.
  • Your child may also have access to clinical trials assessing new treatment approaches.

Hemostasis And Thrombosis

The Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) is one of the oldest in the country, established in the 1970s. Today, our team cares for children with bleeding disorders such as hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, and other rare inherited conditions. We also care for children with blood clots and monitor those on anti-coagulation therapy (blood thinners).

  • Our pediatric thrombosis program addresses the rising incidence of blood clots in children. Besides rare inherited conditions with a predisposition to forming blood clots, young patients with complex medical problems and implanted shunts, stents, and surgical hardware remain at high risk. We created a registry for any child with a blood clot to predict a child’s risk of further complications. Our goal is to identify patients who may benefit from preventive anti-coagulation treatment.
  • The HTC continues to provide state-of-the-art comprehensive multidisciplinary treatment for children and adolescents with bleeding disorders. We aim to normalize each child’s life as much as possible through home infusions, counseling about activities and avoiding trauma, and preventive care. Our team includes physical therapists, orthopedic surgeons, and genetic counselors, in addition to our pediatric physicians and nurses.

Thalassemia And Hemoglobinopathies

The Comprehensive Thalassemia Center is the oldest and one of the largest centers of its kind in the United States. We are also recognized by New York State as a designated Hemoglobinopathy Center. We provide comprehensive care to children and adolescents with disorders such as thalassemia syndromes, sickle cell anemia, and other red blood cell disorders.

  • Children with thalassemia receive their transfusions in a state-of-the-art day hospital setting, with a multidisciplinary team providing psychosocial services, thalassemia screening, and genetic counseling.

Easing The Transition To Adult Care

We have partnered with our adult care colleagues to create a special program for patients with thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies, as well as those with disorders of bleeding and clotting, who are transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. We teach patients how to care for themselves and how to advocate for their health.

NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital