A total gastrectomy with omentectomy and resection of the distal oesophagus in a 69-year-old haemophilia A patient with high inhibitor of 128 Bethesda units is described. Surgery was successfully performed after infusion of 112 microg kg-1 bw of recombinant FVIIa. Ninety-two microg kg-1 were given thereafter at time intervals of 2 h until 12 h, then every 3 h until 24 h, and every 4 h until 48 h after surgery. Doses were gradually reduced in the following days and finally discontinued on day 28 after surgery. The complete treatment schedule required the administration of a total of 708 mg of recombinant FVIIa. Using this approach, we observed normal haemostasis, and there were no signs of excessive postoperative bleeding or wound haematoma. No clinical side-effects or evidence of systemic activation of coagulation occurred during the treatment. As judged from the clinical course of this major surgery, recombinant FVIIa appears to be highly efficacious and safe and should be used as first line treatment in high titre inhibitor patients with cross-reactivity to porcine factor VIII, undergoing surgery.