The Hematology Program is a vital component of the Division of Oncology, Hematology and BMT. It provides consultative service and directive care for patients with complex hematological disorders such as thrombosis, bleeding, cytopenias, bone marrow failure syndromes. The hematology outpatient service is staffed by the same oncologists and hematologists who run the oncology service. Hematology patient referral form.
This service provides comprehensive care and support to children and their families with inherited hemoglobinopathies including thalassemia major, thalassemia intermedia (e.g. Hb E/thalassemia), sickle cell disease, and hemoglobin H disease. This program supervises and coordinates the chronic transfusion program as well as iron chelation therapy. Suitable patients are offered the option of bone marrow transplantation. The hemoglobinopathy team consists of hematologists, nurses, social worker and psychologist. The Nurse Clinician is Heather McCartney.
This service provides comprehensive care and support to children and their families with factor VIII, IX, severe von Willebrand disease, platelet disorders and other rare inherited coagulopathies. This program has the provincial mandate to supervise and coordinate the provincial blood coagulation product distribution and usage through tracking with Canadian Blood Services, and the use of the CHARMS database system. The Nurse Practitioner is Erica Purves. Top of page
The Thrombosis Program was developed in 2007 as a service within the Hematology department. The program consults on thrombosis from all services within the hospital and is also an anticoagulation resource for families and health care professionals around the province. An outpatient thrombosis clinic is held every Tuesday afternoon at BC Children's Hospital. The Thrombosis service also operates a special program for selected patients with unstable INRs who require frequent bloodwork. These patients are enrolled in the INR Point of Care (POC) Monitor Program where they are given a one year loan of an INR monitor that can be used at home. The patient can do an INR by finger poke. The Thrombosis service manages the INR and adjusts warafarin by telephone. The Nurse Clinician is Jane Braun.Top of page
The Hematology Program provides quality teaching to pediatric residents doing special elective rotations, as well as to the subspecialty residents and clinical fellows in pediatric oncology and hematology. It organizes nursing inservice teaching sessions or telemedicine teaching sessions as needed. It is also the provincial resource for physicians and nurses in the community on complex hematological disorders and offers educational sessions in the communities.
There are ongoing collaborative research projects in areas of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, Hemophilia and von Willebrand Disease, inherited bone marrow failure syndromes, as well as collaboration with basic scientists (e.g. UBC Center for Blood Research).