Vox sanguinis
-
Neonates undergoing exchange transfusion require <5-day-old red cells suspended in plasma. This study assesses the effect of replacing the saline, adenine, glucose and mannitol (SAGM) of prion reduced (P-Capt) red cells with either methylene blue-treated plasma (MBTFFP) or OctaplasLG to reduce the risk of variant Creutzfelt-Jakob disease transmission. ⋯ Red cells in both types of plasma demonstrated similar storage characteristics. The plasma proteins, except protein S in OctaplasLG, were stable over 24 h at 4°C in both types of plasma, and low FVIII concentrations were noted in the MBTFFP (group O) units used.
-
The effect of gamma irradiation on leucoreduced red-blood-cells (RBCs) stored in an additive solution (AS) containing phosphate, adenine, glucose, guanosine, saline and mannitol (PAGGS-M) has not yet been studied, and there are different recommendations about storage time of leucoreduced RBCs after irradiation. ⋯ Our findings show that the European recommendations should not be changed in regard to the limitation of the storageability after irradiation of leucoreduced RBCs. The damage after irradiation and storage cannot be prevented by using the high-quality AS PAGGS-M.
-
The optimal transfusion strategy in hip arthroplasty remains controversial despite existing guidelines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the transfusion practice in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) or revision total hip arthroplasty (RTHA) in Denmark. ⋯ Despite established guidelines, RBC transfusion practice in hip arthroplasty remains highly variable between Danish hospitals. The effect of RBC transfusion on outcome after hip arthroplasty should be established in prospective randomized controlled trials.
-
The use of umbilical cord blood (UCB) for transfusion purposes has gained interest the past years. UCB transfusion could serve premature infants, who often need transfusions early in life. ⋯ UCB can be processed into autologous products for premature infants. Shelf-life is limited to 14-21 days and compares unfavourably to stored whole blood. Considering the early transfusion needs in these infants, a short shelf-life would not be a practical objection.
-
The Trauma Associated Severe Haemorrhage (TASH)-Score has been recognized as an easy-to-calculate scoring system to predict the probability for massive transfusion (MT) as a surrogate for life-threatening haemorrhage after injury. Changes with respect to management and outcome of these patients over time prompted a revalidation and an update of the TASH-Score. ⋯ When the original TASH-Score was applied onto the 2004-2007 TR-DGU database, a slight increase in discrimination was observed while precision was considerably lower. The predicted rate for MT within the development dataset was 13·9% while the observed incidence was 14·1%. In contrast, the predicted rate for MT within the revalidation dataset was 11·7%, while the observed rate was 8·4%. The logistic function to calculate MT probability was modified, and the TASH-Score was again evaluated against the most recent TR-DGU 2004-2007 database. The high performance of the score was not only restored but enhanced reflected by an increased ROC/AUC of 0·905. The score can be calculated quickly upon arrival of the patient in the emergency department and may be supportive to correct coagulopathy, to activate logistics and for research.