Management of coagulopathy among patients with cirrhosis undergoing upper endoscopy and paracentesis: Persistent gaps and areas of consensus in a multispecialty Delphi.

Patients with cirrhosis have abnormal coagulation indices such as a high international normalized ratio and low platelet count, but these do not correlate well with periprocedural bleeding risk. We sought to develop a consensus among the multiple stakeholders in cirrhosis care to inform process measures that can help improve the quality of the periprocedural management of coagulopathy in cirrhosis. We identified candidate process measures for periprocedural coagulopathy management in multiple contexts relating to the performance of paracentesis and upper endoscopy. An 11-member panel with content expertise was convened. It included nominees from professional societies for interventional radiology, transfusion medicine, and anesthesia as well as representatives from hematology, emergency medicine, transplant surgery, and community practice. Each measure was evaluated for agreement using a modified Delphi approach (3 rounds of rating) to define the final set of measures. Out of 286 possible measures, 33 measures made the final set. International normalized ratio testing was not required for diagnostic or therapeutic paracentesis as well as diagnostic endoscopy. Plasma transfusion should be avoided for all paracenteses and diagnostic endoscopy. No consensus was achieved for these items in therapeutic intent or emergent endoscopy. The risks of prophylactic platelet transfusions exceed their benefits for outpatient diagnostic paracentesis and diagnostic endosopies. For the other procedures examined, the risks outweigh benefits when platelet count is >20,000/mm 3 . It is uncertain whether risks outweigh benefits below 20,000/mm 3 in other contexts. No consensus was achieved on whether it was permissible to continue or stop systemic anticoagulation. Continuous aspirin was permissible for each procedure. Clopidogrel was permissible for diagnostic and therapeutic paracentesis and diagnostic endoscopy. We found many areas of consensus that may serve as a foundation for a common set of practice metrics for the periprocedural management of coagulopathy in cirrhosis.

Guidelines on the Use of Therapeutic Apheresis in Clinical Practice - Evidence-Based Approach from the Writing Committee of the American Society for Apheresis: The Ninth Special Issue.

The American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) Journal of Clinical Apheresis (JCA) Special Issue Writing Committee is charged with reviewing, updating, and categorizing indications for the evidence-based use of therapeutic apheresis (TA) in human disease. In the Ninth Edition, the JCA Special Issue Writing Committee has incorporated systematic review and evidence-based approaches in the grading of evidence and categorization of apheresis indications to make recommendations on the use of apheresis in a wide variety of diseases and conditions. This edition has largely maintained the general layout and concept of a fact sheet introduced in the Fourth Edition (2007). Each fact sheet succinctly summarizes the evidence for the use of TA in a specific disease or medical condition. The Ninth Edition of the JCA Special Issue comprises 91 fact sheets and 166 graded and categorized indications. This includes seven new fact sheets, nine new indications on existing fact sheets, and eight changes in the category for existing indications. The Ninth Edition of the JCA Special Issue seeks to continue to serve as a key resource that guides the utilization of TA in the treatment of human disease.

Transfusion of ABO-group identical red blood cells following uncrossmatched transfusion does not lead to higher mortality in civilian trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Questions persist about the safety of switching non-group O recipients of group O uncrossmatched red blood cells (RBC) or low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) to ABO-identical RBCs during their resuscitation. METHODS: The database of an earlier nine-center study of transfusing incompatible plasma to trauma patients was reanalyzed. The patients were divided into three groups based on 24-h RBC transfusion: (1) group O patients who received group O RBC/LTOWB units (control group, n = 1203), (2) non-group O recipients who received only group O units (n = 646), (3) non-group O recipients who received at least one unit of group O and non-group O units (n = 562). Fixed marginal effect of receipt of non-O RBC units on 6- and 24-h and 30-day mortality was calculated. RESULTS: The non-O patients who received only group O RBCs received fewer RBC/LTOWB units and had slightly but significantly lower injury severity score compared to control group; non-group O patients who received both group O and non-O units received significantly more RBC/LTOWB units and had a slightly but significantly higher injury severity score compared to control group. In the multivariate analysis, the non-O patients who received only group O RBCs had significantly higher mortality at 6-h compared to the controls; the non-group O recipients of O and non-O RBCs did not demonstrate higher mortality. At 24-h and 30-days, there were no differences in survival between the groups. CONCLUSION: Providing non-group O RBCs to non-group O trauma patients who also received group O RBC units is not associated with higher mortality.

Passive order auditing associated with reductions in red blood cell utilization: National blood shortage experience.

BACKGROUND: Decreased blood collection during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in long-term red blood cell (RBC) shortages in the United States. In an effort to conserve RBCs, the existing passive alert system for auditing inpatient transfusions was modified to activate at a lower hemoglobin threshold (6.5 g/dL instead of 7.0 g/dL for stable, nonbleeding inpatients) during a 9-month shortage at an academic medical center. Hemoglobin levels prior to RBC transfusions were compared for inpatients receiving RBC transfusions to determine whether RBC utilization changed during the intervention. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This retrospective study compared the number of single-unit RBC transfusions and hemoglobin levels prior to RBC transfusion among inpatients during the 9 months of the intervention (Period 2, 06/01/2021-2/28/2022) to the same period of the previous year (Period 1, 06/01/2020-2/28/2021). RESULTS: Overall full unit RBC transfusions to inpatients decreased by 15% from 5182 to 4421. Of all transfusions, 50.3% and 49.8% were single-unit RBC transfusions in Period 1 and Period 2, respectively. The incidence rate difference and incidence rate ratio of single RBC units transfused per 1000 patient days were significantly decreased (p = 0.0007). The average pre-transfusion hemoglobin level significantly decreased from 7.18 g/dL to 7.05 g/dL (p = 0.0002), largely due to significant decreases in hemoglobin transfusion triggers for adult inpatient ward transfusions. DISCUSSION: Modification of the passive alert system was associated with significantly decreased RBC utilization during a long-term RBC shortage. Modification of transfusion criteria recommended by passive alerts may be a feasible option to decrease RBC utilization at centers during long-term RBC shortages.

Hospital red blood cell and platelet supply and utilization from March to December of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: The BEST collaborative study.

BACKGROUND: At the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, widespread blood shortages were anticipated. We sought to determine how hospital blood supply and blood utilization were affected by the first wave of COVID-19. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Weekly red blood cell (RBC) and platelet (PLT) inventory, transfusion, and outdate data were collected from 13 institutions in the United States, Brazil, Canada, and Denmark from March 1st to December 31st of 2020 and 2019. Data from the sites were aligned based on each site's local first peak of COVID-19 cases, and data from 2020 (pandemic year) were compared with data from the corresponding period in 2019 (pre-pandemic baseline). RESULTS: RBC inventories were 3% lower in 2020 than in 2019 (680 vs. 704, p < .001) and 5% fewer RBCs were transfused per week compared to 2019 (477 vs. 501, p < .001). However, during the first COVID-19 peak, RBC and PLT inventories were higher than normal, as reflected by deviation from par, days on hand, and percent outdated. At this time, 16% fewer inpatient beds were occupied, and 43% fewer surgeries were performed compared to 2019 (p < .001). In contrast to 2019 when there was no correlation, there was, in 2020, significant negative correlations between RBC and PLT days on hand and both percentage occupancy of inpatient beds and percentage of surgeries performed. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, RBC and PLT inventories remained adequate. During the first wave of cases, significant decreases in patient care activities were associated with excess RBC and PLT supplies and increased product outdating.

Low titer Group O whole blood utilization in pediatric trauma resuscitation: A National Survey.

BACKGROUND: Renewed interest in low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) transfusion has led to increased utilization in adult trauma centers; little is known regarding LTOWB use in pediatric centers. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A survey of LTOWB utilization at American pediatric level 1 trauma centers. RESULTS: Responses were received from 43/72 (60%) centers. These institutions were primarily urban (84%) and pediatric-specific (58%). There were 16% (7/43) centers using LTOWB, 7% (3/43) imminently initiating an LTOWB program, 47% (20/43) with interest but no current plan to develop a LTOWB program, and 30% (13/43) with no immediate interest in an LTOWB program. For the hospitals actively or imminently using LTOWB, 70% (3/10) have a minimum recipient weight criterion, 60% (6/10) have a minimum age criterion, and 70% (7/10) restrict the maximum volume transfused. Before the patient's RhD type becomes known, 30% (3/10) use RhD negative LTOWB for males and females, 40% (4/10) use RhD positive LTOWB for males and RhD negative LTOWB for females, 20% (2/10) use RhD positive LTOWB for males and RhD negative RBCs for females, and 10% (1/10) use RhD positive LTOWB for both males and females. Maximum LTOWB storage duration was 14-35 days and units nearing expiration were used for non-trauma patients (40%), processed to RBC (40%), and/or discarded (40%). The most common barriers to implementation were concerns about inventory management (37%), wastage (35%), infrequent use (33%), cost (21%) and unclear efficacy (14%). CONCLUSION: LTOWB utilization is increasing in pediatric level 1 trauma centers in the United States.

Rate of D-alloimmunization in trauma does not depend on the number of RhD-positive units transfused: The BEST collaborative study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence indicates the life-saving benefits of early blood product transfusion in severe trauma resuscitation. Many of these products will be RhD-positive, so understanding the D-alloimmunization rate is important. METHODS: This was a multicenter, retrospective study whereby injured RhD-negative patients between 18-50 years of age who received at least one unit of RhD-positive red blood cells (RBC) or low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) during their resuscitation between 1 January, 2010 through 31 December, 2019 were identified. If an antibody detection test was performed ≥14 days after the index RhD-positive transfusion then basic demographic information was collected, including whether the patient became D-alloimmunized. The overall D-alloimmunization rate, and the rate stratified by the number of units transfused, were calculated. RESULTS: Data were collected from nine institutions. Five institutions reported fewer than 10 eligible patients each and were excluded. From the remaining four institutions, all from the USA, there were 235 eligible patients; 77 (random effects estimate: 32.7%; 95% CI: 19.1-50.1%) became D-alloimmunized. Three of the institutions reported D-alloimmunization rates ≥38.6%, while the remaining institution's rate was 12.2%. In both random and fixed-effects models, the rate of D-alloimmunization was not significantly different between those who received one RhD-positive unit and those who received multiple RhD-positive units. CONCLUSION: In this large, multicenter study of injured patients, the overall rate of D-alloimmunization fell within the range previously reported. The rate of D-alloimmunization did not increase as the number of transfused RhD-positive units increased. These data can help to inform RhD type selection decisions.

Application of Standardized Residual Component Culture Criteria for Suspected Septic Transfusion Reactions Would Increase the Component Culturing Rate at a Single Academic Medical Center.

OBJECTIVES: The 2019 SCARED study developed the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) criteria in an effort to standardize the decision to culture residual units in the context of suspected septic transfusion reactions (STRs). The goal of this study was to apply the BEST criteria to determine the effect on the transfusion reaction decision to culture. METHODS: This retrospective, single-center, cross-sectional study assessed adult transfusion reactions identified in calendar years 2013 to 2020. Reactions following transfusion of RBCs, platelets, and plasma were included, and the decisions to culture following strict application of BEST criteria were compared with decisions to culture in actual practice. RESULTS: In total, 1,068 transfusion reactions were reported and 200 (19%) suspected STRs were cultured, all with negative results; 303 (28%) reactions would have been cultured per strict application of the BEST criteria. Concordance between actual culture decision and BEST criteria recommendation was 62% for cultured components and 79% for components that were not cultured. CONCLUSIONS: BEST criteria provide objective recommendations of when to culture residual units implicated in suspected STRs, but strict application of these criteria may result in increased culture rates. Clinical correlation to aid in the decision to culture is recommended.

THOR-AABB Working Party Recommendations for a Prehospital Blood Product Transfusion Program.

The evidence for the lifesaving benefits of prehospital transfusions is increasing. As such, emergency medical services (EMS) might increasingly become interested in providing this important intervention. While a few EMS and air medical agencies have been providing exclusively red blood cell (RBC) transfusions to their patients for many years, transfusing plasma in addition to the RBCs, or simply using low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) in place of two separate components, will be a novel experience for many services. The recommendations presented in this document were created by the Trauma, Hemostasis and Oxygenation Research (THOR)-AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks) Working Party, and they are intended to provide a framework for implementing prehospital blood transfusion programs in line with the best available evidence. These recommendations cover all aspects of such a program including storing, transporting, and transfusing blood products in the prehospital phase of hemorrhagic resuscitation.

Factors associated with wrong blood in tube errors: An international case series - The BEST collaborative study.

BACKGROUND: A wrong blood in tube (WBIT) error signifies a blood sample that does not match the patient identified on the sample label. WBIT errors can result in ABO mistransfusions. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In this international, multicenter, descriptive study, healthcare facilities provided detailed information on WBIT errors occurring from 1/1/2019 to 12/31/2020. Factors contributing to WBIT errors were classified as protocol violations, knowledge gaps, and slips/lapses. RESULTS: 331 WBIT errors were compiled from 36 centers in 11 countries. WBIT errors were most frequently detected through pretransfusion sample testing (191, 58%), with 38 (20%) detected by a second ("check") sample. WBIT errors were divided almost evenly between intended patient drawn/wrong label applied (166, 50%) and wrong patient drawn/intended label applied (158, 48%). Information on contributing factors was available for 260 WBIT errors; most involved a combination of protocol violations and slips/lapses (139, 53%). The most frequent contributing factor was another patient's sample labels or tubes being available during phlebotomy (61%). Protocol violations were more likely to result in wrong patient being drawn (p = .0007). In 43 WBIT errors, electronic positive patient identification (ePPID) was not used when available or was used incorrectly. CONCLUSIONS: Protocol violations and slips/lapses frequently contribute to WBIT errors. Sample collection processes should be designed to minimize error opportunities; staff should be educated on why protocol compliance is critical for patient safety. Using ePPID does not eliminate all WBIT errors. Institutions using ePPID may elect to require check sample verification as an added safety measure.

Survey of the RhD selection and issuing practices for uncrossmatched blood products at pediatric trauma hospitals in the United States: The BEST collaborative study.

BACKGROUND: As evidence demonstrating the importance of early transfusions in trauma resuscitation accumulates, when RhD-negative products might not be available, it is important to understand the nature of the RhD-type of products provided to bleeding pediatric patients of potentially unknown RhD-type. METHODS: A survey link was electronically sent to the transfusion service medical director and/or laboratory manager at American pediatric Level I and Level II hospitals inquiring about their practices for selecting RhD-type of uncrossmatched red blood cells (RBC) or low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) for boys and girls. RESULTS: There were 55/117 (47.0%) analyzable responses; 43/55 (78.2%) from Level I and 12/55 (21.8%) from Level II hospitals. For in hospital transfusions, 51/55 (92.7%) of centers use only RhD-negative blood products to resuscitate girls ≤18 years old while 30/55 (54.5%) of centers do the same for boys ≤18 years old. Most centers 41/55(74.5%) store RBCs and/or LTOWB in in-hospital remote refrigerators; 27 store only RhD-negative RBCs and 2 store only RhD-negative LTOWB units in these refrigerators. A total of 24/55 (43.6%) centers have RBCs and/or LTOWB available on road ambulances or helicopters for prehospital transfusion; 12 transport only RhD-negative RBCs and two transport only RhD-negative LTOWB. Most centers, 35/55 (63.6%), address the prophylaxis of an RhD-negative female recipient of RhD-positive transfusion on a case-by-case basis. CONCLUSION: While there is some variability, most of the responding pediatric trauma centers routinely utilized RhD-negative RBCs for emergency transfusion for patients ≤18 years old of unknown RhD-type.

Risk of ABO-Incompatible Plasma From Non-ABO-Identical Components.

The last several decades have seen significant changes in the approach to resuscitation of bleeding patients. These include the adoption of ABO-incompatible plasma transfusion in the form of group A plasma and/or low titer group O whole blood for trauma patients of unknown ABO group. Studies to date have examined the impact of these practices on patient outcomes and clinical markers of hemolysis in recipients of ABO-incompatible plasma compared to those for whom the plasma is ABO-compatible. Risk for increased mortality and/or overt hemolysis appear to be low among recipients of ABO-incompatible plasma; however, nearly all of studies are retrospective and most have focused only on adult trauma patients so results may not be generalizable to other bleeding patients. Work continues to evaluate the role of various titer thresholds in decreasing hemolytic risk and opportunities remain to improve our understanding of anti-A and anti-B antibody interactions with complement/endothelium and identify strategies to minimize risk.

Current advances in transfusion medicine 2020: A critical review of selected topics by the AABB Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee.

BACKGROUND: The AABB Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee (CTMC) compiles an annual synopsis of the published literature covering important developments in the field of transfusion medicine (TM), which has been made available as a manuscript published in Transfusion since 2018. METHODS: CTMC committee members reviewed original manuscripts including TM-related topics published electronically (ahead) or in print from December 2019 to December 2020. The selection of topics and manuscripts was discussed at committee meetings and chosen based on relevance and originality. Next, committee members worked in pairs to create a synopsis of each topic, which was then reviewed by two additional committee members. The first and senior authors of this manuscript assembled the final manuscript. Although this synopsis is extensive, it is not exhaustive, and some papers may have been excluded or missed. RESULTS: The following topics are included: COVID-19 effects on the blood supply and regulatory landscape, COVID convalescent plasma, adult transfusion practices, whole blood, molecular immunohematology, pediatric TM, cellular therapy, and apheresis medicine. CONCLUSIONS: This synopsis provides easy access to relevant topics and may be useful as an educational tool.

Emergency departments are higher-risk locations for wrong blood in tube errors.

BACKGROUND: Wrong blood in tube (WBIT) errors can lead to ABO mistransfusions. It is unknown if WBIT errors are more likely in specific healthcare locations or if specific collection practices influence the commission of WBIT errors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Data on pretransfusion samples from calendar year 2019 were collected retrospectively by 39 transfusion services in nine countries. We compared the proportion of WBIT errors made in emergency departments (EDs), inpatient wards, and outpatient clinics. RESULTS: In total, 143 WBIT errors were detected among 1,394,862 samples for an unadjusted aggregate WBIT proportion of 1.03/10,000 samples. Using a pooled random effects model, the WBIT proportion was estimated to be significantly higher in EDs (1.23/10,000 samples, 95% CI 0.62-2.43) than inpatient wards (0.71/10,000, 95% CI 0.44-1.14; p < .001) or outpatient clinics (0.24/10,000, 95% CI 0.08-0.65; p < .001) and significantly higher in inpatient wards than outpatient clinics (p = .043). The use of electronic positive patient identification (ePPID) systems was associated with a significantly lower WBIT proportion in the ED (odds ratio, OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.11-0.96, p = .041), but not in inpatient wards (OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.20-1.01, p = .054) or outpatient clinics (OR: 1.95, 95% CI: 0.39-9.74, p = .415). DISCUSSION: Normalized for the number of samples drawn per location, the WBIT proportion in EDs was 1.7 times higher than inpatient wards and 5.1 times higher than outpatient clinics. EDs represent higher-risk clinical locations for WBIT errors, and electronic positive patient identification (ePPID) may provide a greater impact on safety in EDs relative to other clinical areas.

Limitations of current practices in detection of bacterially contaminated blood products associated with suspected septic transfusion reactions.

BACKGROUND: In the setting of suspected septic transfusion reactions, bacterial culture of both the transfused patient and the residual blood component is recommended. Primary bacterial contamination can occur at the time of component collection. Clinically insignificant "secondary contamination" can occur during post-transfusion component discard, retrieval for culture, or manipulation of the bag at the time of culture sampling. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This retrospective, multi-center study analyzes positive residual component culture results and companion patient blood cultures from 15 hospitals, 1 blood center, and all cultured transfusion reactions within the province of Quebec, Canada, over a 5-year period. Imputability was assigned as "definite" (concordant growth), "possible" (discordant growth or lack of growth in patient culture), or "unable to assess" (patient not cultured). RESULTS: There were 373 positive component cultures from 360 unique transfusion reactions, with 276 (76.7%) companion patient blood cultures performed, of which 10 (2.8%) yielded the pathogen detected in the positive component. Of these 10 definite pathogens, 7 (2 Staphylococcus aureus, 3 other staphylococci, and 1 Streptococcus pyogenes and 1 Bacillus sp.) were associated with platelet and 3 (Aeromonas veronii, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Enterococcus faecalis) with RBC transfusions. RBC and plasma components comprised 70% of positive component cultures. DISCUSSION: The process of performing residual component culture is vulnerable to secondary contamination. The significance of microorganisms recovered from component culture cannot be interpreted in isolation. In the context of low prevalence of primary contamination of blood components, the positive predictive value of a positive component culture result is very low.

Survey of group A plasma and low-titer group O whole blood use in trauma resuscitation at adult civilian level 1 trauma centers in the US.

BACKGROUND: Recently revisited products like low-titer group O whole blood (LTOWB) and novel applications of group A as a universal donor of plasma are being used for trauma resuscitation. A survey of American Level 1 trauma centers was performed to elucidate the extent to which these products are currently employed. METHODS: A survey was written that probed into the current use of blood products in trauma resuscitation with specific emphasis on LTOWB and group A plasma. A list of adult civilian Level 1 trauma centers in the continental USA was obtained from two public surgery and trauma focused websites. An email was then sent to each center's transfusion service medical director or laboratory manager providing them with a link to the online survey. RESULTS: Responses were received from 103/187 (55%) adult civilian Level 1 trauma centers. For the resuscitation of trauma patients, group A plasma was used at 94/103 (91%) centers, while LTOWB was used at 43/103 (42%) centers. There were 39/103 (38%) centers that used both products. At 62/94 (66%) of the centers that used group A plasma, there was no limit on the number of units that could be administered, while an unlimited number of LTOWB units could be used at 5/43 (12%) of the centers that used LTOWB. RhD-positive LTOWB could be transfused to RhD-negative or RhD-type unknown females of childbearing potential at 22/43 (51%) of centers. CONCLUSION: The use of group A plasma and LTOWB in trauma is increasing at American Level 1 trauma centers.