Over the past 10–20 years there have been major improvements in blood safety in low and lower middle-income countries (LIC, LMIC), largely driven by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic. Unfortunately, improvements in blood supply adequacy have not been as…
Hemostasis is the process by which blood components work in concert to halt bleeding as a consequence of injury. A blood clot forms in two general phases called primary and secondary hemostasis. Primary hemostasis involves the exposure of collagen in…
Transfusion in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatibility is of greater importance than ABO compatibility in donor selection for HSC transplantation (HSCT). As such, ABO incompatibility may be present in up to 50% of donor/recipient…
Introduction Patients with hereditary hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia may require lifelong red blood cell (RBC) transfusion support, warranting special consideration by blood centers and transfusion services. Sickle Cell Disease SCD is usually caused not only…
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) refers to a group of disorders where autoantibodies are directed against red blood cell (RBC) membrane antigens resulting in shortened RBC survival (normally 100–120 days) through activation of the complement system and/or RBC removal within the…
Transfusion management of the pregnant woman and fetus requires special consideration. This chapter will address the following related issues: (1) routine prenatal and neonatal transfusion testing in relationship to maternal red blood cell (RBC) alloimmunization, (2) hemolytic disease of the…
Red Blood Cell Transfusions RBC Transfusion Considerations in Neonates Neonatal RBC transfusion thresholds are not clearly defined, with gestational age, postnatal age, and clinical condition being important considerations. Two randomized control trials (RCTs) (Bell et al. and Kirpalani et al.) comparing liberal…
Blood safety is of major importance in transfusion medicine. To decrease safety risks, a combination of donor education, screening, and testing for selected agents has been implemented. Pathogen reduction (PR) technology (PRT, also known as pathogen inactivation) is a proactive…
Volume reduction (also known as hyperpacking or hyperconcentrating), a process performed after a blood component has been manufactured, is the removal of a portion of supernatant of a cellular blood product, such as red blood cell (RBC) or platelet unit.…
Washing refers to a process that removes the noncellular fluid in red blood cell (RBC) and platelet products and replaces it, typically with saline. Usually, the process is performed in an open system where storage time is limited to 4–24…