Faculty Bibliography

Platelet transfusions are a cornerstone of hemorrhage management in patients with thrombocytopenia or platelet dysfunction, yet their indications and dosing are largely based on expert opinion and low-quality evidence. This review offers a timely and comprehensive analysis of platelet transfusion practices in the United States (U.S.), uniquely integrating clinical evidence, such as the pivotal PLADO trial, with emerging technological advancements. Using a holistic approach, this manuscript addresses not only conventional practices (such as dosing standards and storage methods), but also cutting-edge alternatives like cold-stored and freeze-dried platelets, pathogen reduction technologies, and synthetic platelet substitutes. By juxtaposing U.S. practices with international standards, it highlights inefficiencies in dosing and supply management, proposing actionable solutions like lower-dose transfusions and diversified platelet inventories. Furthermore, the manuscript's exploration of whole blood-derived platelets and the ethical debate surrounding paid donors adds a forward-looking perspective. By examining these innovations alongside strategies to optimize supply, this work aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how transfusion medicine is adapting to meet clinical and logistical demands.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to showcase how implementing a patient blood management (PBM) program effectively cuts unnecessary red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in a New York City urban community teaching hospital. METHODS:Analyzing seven years from 2013 to 2019, a retrospective review of RBC transfusions was conducted. RESULTS:Following the introduction of PBM, considerable improvements were observed annually. These included a drop in mean pretransfusion hemoglobin levels from 7.26 g/dL (2013) to 6.58 g/dL (2019), a 34% reduction in yearly RBC unit transfusions, and fewer units given to patients with pre-Hgb levels ≥ 7 g/dL (from 1210 units in 2013 to 310 units in 2019). Furthermore, this study noted a decline in two-unit RBC orders when Hgb levels were ≥ 7 g/dL from 65 orders in 2013 to merely 3 in 2019. The estimated total cost savings attributed to the six-year PBM program duration after full implementation in 2014 amounted to USD 2.1 million. CONCLUSIONS:Overall, PBM implementation significantly decreased RBC transfusions and enhanced transfusion practices. The findings emphasize that successful PBM strategies do not always necessitate extensive resources or increased budgets but instead rely on the application of intuitive methods, as evidenced by this study.

Although a subspecialty-trained transfusion medicine (TM) physician brings value to the clinical bedside, hospital transfusion service oversight often falls under the responsibility of pathologists primarily focused on surgical pathology. Yet, pathologists who lack TM fellowship training may not be quite as confident in their role as the TM physician in-charge, especially when the need to communicate with another clinician arises. Given that blood is a resource subject to frequent shortages, there is a need for constant monitoring of blood utilization such that those responsible for transfusion service oversight need to handle challenging clinical interactions when transfusion guidelines are breeched. Generally, the average pathologist is more knowledgeable regarding blood component therapy than other clinician. Yet, disagreements concerning patient transfusion management can arise, in spite of established evidence-based hospital transfusion guidelines. Since authoritative fact stating is not likely to be effective in changing the entrenched practices, pathologists must engage in strategies that will develop meaningful working relationships with their clinical colleagues. Such strategies include being a visible part of direct patient care, such as attendance at patient rounds or provision of mini-consultations by phone regarding transfusion management. Inviting clinicians to attend the hospital transfusion committee meetings and scheduling educational grand rounds are also useful strategies. Clinicians may be more receptive to blood conservation during times of shortages if open communication is established, particularly if hospital leadership is involved in urgent crisis messaging to the clinicians and other hospital staff involved in patient care.

Importance/UNASSIGNED:There is clinical equipoise for COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) use in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Objective/UNASSIGNED:To determine the safety and efficacy of CCP compared with placebo in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 receiving noninvasive supplemental oxygen. Design, Setting, and Participants/UNASSIGNED:CONTAIN COVID-19, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of CCP in hospitalized adults with COVID-19, was conducted at 21 US hospitals from April 17, 2020, to March 15, 2021. The trial enrolled 941 participants who were hospitalized for 3 or less days or presented 7 or less days after symptom onset and required noninvasive oxygen supplementation. Interventions/UNASSIGNED:A unit of approximately 250 mL of CCP or equivalent volume of placebo (normal saline). Main Outcomes and Measures/UNASSIGNED:The primary outcome was participant scores on the 11-point World Health Organization (WHO) Ordinal Scale for Clinical Improvement on day 14 after randomization; the secondary outcome was WHO scores determined on day 28. Subgroups were analyzed with respect to age, baseline WHO score, concomitant medications, symptom duration, CCP SARS-CoV-2 titer, baseline SARS-CoV-2 serostatus, and enrollment quarter. Outcomes were analyzed using a bayesian proportional cumulative odds model. Efficacy of CCP was defined as a cumulative adjusted odds ratio (cOR) less than 1 and a clinically meaningful effect as cOR less than 0.8. Results/UNASSIGNED:Of 941 participants randomized (473 to placebo and 468 to CCP), 556 were men (59.1%); median age was 63 years (IQR, 52-73); 373 (39.6%) were Hispanic and 132 (14.0%) were non-Hispanic Black. The cOR for the primary outcome adjusted for site, baseline risk, WHO score, age, sex, and symptom duration was 0.94 (95% credible interval [CrI], 0.75-1.18) with posterior probability (P[cOR<1] = 72%); the cOR for the secondary adjusted outcome was 0.92 (95% CrI, 0.74-1.16; P[cOR<1] = 76%). Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested heterogeneity of treatment effect: at day 28, cORs were 0.72 (95% CrI, 0.46-1.13; P[cOR<1] = 93%) for participants enrolled in April-June 2020 and 0.65 (95% CrI, 0.41 to 1.02; P[cOR<1] = 97%) for those not receiving remdesivir and not receiving corticosteroids at randomization. Median CCP SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing titer used in April to June 2020 was 1:175 (IQR, 76-379). Any adverse events (excluding transfusion reactions) were reported for 39 (8.2%) placebo recipients and 44 (9.4%) CCP recipients (P = .57). Transfusion reactions occurred in 2 (0.4) placebo recipients and 8 (1.7) CCP recipients (P = .06). Conclusions and Relevance/UNASSIGNED:In this trial, CCP did not meet the prespecified primary and secondary outcomes for CCP efficacy. However, high-titer CCP may have benefited participants early in the pandemic when remdesivir and corticosteroids were not in use. Trial Registration/UNASSIGNED:ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04364737.

BACKGROUND:The availability of a safe blood supply is a key component of transfusion medicine. A decade of decreased blood use, decreased payment for products, and a dwindling donor base have placed the sustainability of the US blood supply at risk. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS/METHODS:A literature review was performed for blood center (BC) and hospital disaster management, chronically transfusion-dependent diseases, and appropriate use of group O-negative red blood cells (RBCs), and the Choosing Wisely campaign. The aim was to identify current practice and to make recommendations for BC and hospital actions. RESULTS:While BCs are better prepared to handle disasters than after the 9/11 attacks, messaging to the public remains difficult, as donors often do not realize that blood transfused during a disaster was likely collected before the event. BCs and transfusion services should participate in drafting disaster response plans. Hospitals should maintain inventories adequate for patients in the event supply is disrupted. Providing specialty products for transfusion-dependent patients can strain collections, lead to increased use of group O RBCs, and create logistical inventory challenges for hospitals. The AABB Choosing Wisely initiative addresses overuse of blood components to optimally use this precious resource. Group O-negative RBCs should be transfused only to patients who truly need them. CONCLUSIONS:Collecting and maintaining a blood supply robust enough to handle disasters and transfusion-dependent patients in need of specialty products is challenging. Collaboration of all parties should help to optimize resources, ensure appropriate collections, improve patient care, and ultimately result in a robust, sustainable blood supply.