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As mentioned previously, transfusion medicine is the mainstay of therapy of hemostatic disorders, whether inherited or acquired. However, other compounds can also be used to facilitate hemostasis, including topical materials such as "fibrin glue", gelfoam and topical thrombin (all of which aid with localized hemostasis), surgical hemostasis (tying off vessels appropriately, the use of electrocautery to cauterize small vessels), and drugs. Antifibrinolytic agents (such as epsilonaminocaproic acid) have been used successfully to control local hemorrhage during dental surgery in human patients with vWD, but have not been used extensively in animals. These agents will only be useful when procedures are performed on sites with high natural fibrinolytic activity, such as the oral mucosa. Desmopressin, or DDAVP, is a drug that can be used to treat both diabetes insipidus and vWD. Synthetic oxygen-carrying compounds (hemoglobin substitutes), such as Oxyglobin, have been produced and licensed for use in dogs. These products are a good alternative to blood transfusions for the treatment of hypoxia in acute anemias.
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