Louisiana Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders Now Open at University Medical Center

A comprehensive center offering specialized care for people living with bleeding disorders as well as clotting (thrombotic) disorders, has a new home on the campus of University Medical Center New Orleans.

The Louisiana Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders, located in University Medical Center’s Ambulatory Care Building, cares for over 500 adults and children in the Greater New Orleans area. It first opened in 1979.

“Our mission at the Center is to ensure that our patients have sustained access to proper treatment and a range of services to improve their quality of life,” said Dr. Cindy Leissinger, a Tulane hematologist and medical director of the Center. “We are excited to have these services housed at University Medical Center.

Hemophilia, an inherited and potentially life-threatening disorder that affects the blood’s ability to clot, is the best-known bleeding disorder, but the center works with a wide variety of patients, including many who have had life-threatening blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

The needs of patients with bleeding disorders are very specific and unique, with guidelines mandated through the federal Maternal and Child Bureau. The bureau has a hemophilia division, which is charged with supporting a network of hemophilia centers across the country, including the Louisiana Center for Bleeding and Clotting Disorders.

“One of the mandates and why there are federal treatments centers is that we have standards of care. To be a member of the network we must provide what is termed comprehensive care,” Leissinger said. “So, when we go to the clinic, it’s not just the doctor going to see a patient. We have a hematologist, nurse educator, social worker, physical therapist, dentist or dental hygienist, and research nurses.”

Because bleeding disorders are rare, most patients participate in one or more research studies, Leissinger said.

“We are on the cusp of quite a few amazing developments. We have had some new newer treatments come along in recent years and things have changed very much for the better.”

About University Medical Center New Orleans

Opened in August 2015, University Medical Center New Orleans is the academic medical center of LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit health system. University Medical Center New Orleans serves as a key partner of LSU Health Science Center New Orleans, Tulane University School of Medicine, and other academic institutions. University Medical Center is home to the Rev. Avery C. Alexander Academic Research Hospital, named in honor of the respected Civil Rights and community leader who served in the Louisiana Legislature for more than 20 years.