Irregular red blood cell antibodies, abnormal hemoglobin and dangerous universal blood donor insights from a public blood center in a Brazilian metropolitan area.

BACKGROUND: Immunohematology tests are crucial in transfusion safety. This study aimed to assess irregular red blood cell (RBC) antibodies, abnormal hemoglobin and dangerous universal blood donors at a public blood center in a Brazilian metropolitan area. METHODS: A cross-sectional study included all consecutive blood donors from January 2018 to December 2021 at the Brasília Blood Center Foundation, Federal District (FD), Brazil. RESULTS: Among 205,965 blood donations, irregular RBC antibodies were found in 743 (0.4 %). Abnormal hemoglobin was observed in 5396 (2.6 %): 3959 (1.9 %) with Hb AS, 1344 (0.7 %) with Hb AC, and 93 (< 0,1 %) with other hemoglobin variants. Of O group donors, 12.5 % (9646) had hemolysins: 12.5 % (2410) both anti-A and anti-B, 8.7 % (9646) only anti-A, and 1.6 % (1763) only anti-B hemolysins. Female sex (p < 0.001) and increasing age (p < 0.001) were associated with irregular RBC antibodies. O and/or Rh(D)-positive blood groups had a lower prevalence of irregular RBC antibodies compared to other ABO and/or Rh(D)-negative groups. Age (p < 0.001) and female sex (p < 0.001) were associated with anti-A/anti-B hemolysins, while FD residency was associated with reduced incidence (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Anti-A/anti-B hemolysins in O group donors, abnormal hemoglobin and irregular RBC antibodies pose risks to transfusion practice and should not be overlooked. Advancing age, female sex, ABO blood group other than O, or Rh(D)- negative are independently associated with the presence of irregular RBC antibodies. Dangerous universal blood donors were associated with advanced age, female gender, Rh(D)-positive blood type, and individuals residing in a Brazilian state other than where the blood center was located.

Paradigm shift in transfusion practices during early COVID-19 pandemic: A single center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The advent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) unveiled the worst national blood crisis that the United States had witnessed in over a decade. With the pandemic influencing the different stages of the acquisition of blood products outside the hospital setting, we aimed to explore the possible barriers contributing to the shortage of blood products within the medical community. AIM: To assess the adherence to restrictive blood transfusion practices for patients in the COVID era and pre-COVID era. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study on hospitalized patients distinguishing the pattern of blood transfusion during the COVID and pre-COVID era in a community hospital. Data was tabulated to include the number of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions and if transfusions met restrictive blood transfusion criteria as per institutional guidelines. Chi-square was applied to test the statistical association between qualitative variables. Unpaired t test and Mann Whitney U test were applied respectively to test the mean difference of quantitative variables. RESULTS: A total of 208 patients were included in the study, of which 108 were during COVID era and 100 were during pre-COVID era. The leading reason for admission in both the COVID era and pre-COVID era transfused patients was shortness of breath (53.7% and 36% P = 0.001), followed by gastrointestinal bleeding (25.9% and 21% P = 0.001). There was a higher percentage of RBC transfusions in the intensive care unit in the COVID-era group than in the pre-COVID era group (38.9% vs 22%, P = 0.008). The restrictive transfusion criteria were met in 62% vs 79% in the COVID and pre-COVID eras, respectively (P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: The COVID-era group received RBC transfusions with less stringent adherence to restrictive blood transfusion practices in comparison to pre-COVID era group.

'Of One Blood?': Gendered Propaganda and Blood Donor Behaviour in Wartime Bristol and South West England, 1939-1945.

This article explores civilian responses to the British army's blood donor recruitment campaign in wartime Britain, revealing it to be an underexplored medium for the examination of the contribution of women to Britain's war effort. However, despite extensive gender-targeted propaganda, it reveals evidence of a significant disparity between levels of volunteering to donate and actual donation throughout the war. Wartime donor behaviour was influenced by perceptions of personal or familial risk, with donor recruitment propaganda emphasising kinship ties to those in military service and promoting blood donation as a mutual insurance policy. Ultimately, this article argues that evidence of donor behaviour further undermines the mythologised narrative of Britain's 'People's War' and provides nuance to the understanding of blood donor motivation.

Systemic loxoscelism leading to autoimmune haemolytic anaemia in a healthy young adult.

The brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa) is endemic to the southcentral Midwest and the Southern United States. A bite from a brown recluse spider may result in symptoms that range from local skin necrosis to systemic complications such as acute haemolytic anaemia, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, rhabdomyolysis and death. Although rare, systemic loxoscelism is a clinical diagnosis of exclusion that should be considered in a patient with acute autoimmune haemolytic anaemia. We describe a case of a young man with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia secondary to systemic loxoscelism successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and steroids.

Chronic automated red cell exchange therapy for sickle cell disease.

BACKGROUND: The data to support chronic automated red cell exchange (RCE) in sickle cell disease (SCD) outside of stroke prevention, is limited, especially in adults. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients with SCD who were referred for chronic RCE at our institution over a 10-year period. Data that were evaluated included patient demographics, referral indications, and procedural details (e.g., vascular access, adverse events, etc.). In a subanalysis, the number of annual acute care encounters during 3 years of chronic RCE was compared with that in the year preceding the first RCE. RESULTS: A total of 164 patients were referred for chronic RCE: median age was 28 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 22-36) at referral and 60% were female. Seventy (42.6%) were naïve to chronic transfusion (simple or RCE) prior to referral. The leading indications for referral were refractory pain (73/164, 44.5%) and iron overload (57/164, 34.7%). A total of 5090 procedures occurred during the study period (median = 19, IQR = 5-45). Of the 138 patients who had central vascular access, 8 (6%) and 16 (12%) had ≥1 central-line-related thrombosis and/or infection, respectively. Of those who were not RBC alloimmunized at initiation of RCE, 12/105 (11.4%) developed new antibodies during chronic RCE. In those 30 patients who were adherent to therapy for 3 years, there was no significant difference in acute care encounters following initiation of RCE. CONCLUSION: Prospective clinical trials are needed to determine which patients are most likely to benefit from chronic RCE and refine selection accordingly.

Acute intravascular haemolysis associated with scrub typhus.

Scrub typhus, a prevalent tropical infection, may sometimes manifest with unusual complications. Here, we present the case of a young man who was admitted to our facility with a fever for the past 3 days and passage of dark-coloured urine since that morning. On investigation, we identified intravascular haemolytic anaemia. Through meticulous examination, a black necrotic lesion (eschar) was discovered on his right buttock, a pathognomonic sign of scrub typhus infection. Treatment was initiated with oral doxycycline 100 mg two times a day. Subsequently, diagnosis of scrub typhus was confirmed through positive results from scrub typhus IgM via ELISA and PCR analysis from the eschar tissue. The patient responded well to oral doxycycline and his symptoms resolved within the next few days. This case highlights severe intravascular haemolysis associated with scrub typhus infection.

Synergistic treatment of infected burn wound utilizing maggot debridement and acellular fish skin grafting - a case report.

Here we report about a patient with a full thickness burn injury of the left lower extremity with approximately 8% of total body surface area affected. Initial therapy consisted of necrosectomy and wound coverage with split thickness graft. The patient developed a wound infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, resulting in the failure of the skin graft to achieve complete healing. The case was further complicated by the patient's concurrent presentation of anemia, characterized by a hematocrit level of 19.8% on 11th day after admission. Additionally, the patient refused acceptance of any blood transfusion, adding a significant layer of complexity to the management strategy. In summary, the patient's critical state required an immediate intervention. Due to the contraindication for a further surgical debridement and autograft, we changed the treatment strategy to a conservative approach. First, the wound was debrided employing maggot therapy 17 days after admission. Subsequently, free soft tissue coverage was accomplished using decellularized fish skin dressings on 45th day. This approach yielded satisfactory wound closure. Following an approximately two-month hospitalization period (52nd day after admission), the patient was discharged with a stable wound condition, nearing complete healing.

The Magic Number 63 - Redefining the Geriatric Age for Massive Transfusion in Trauma.

INTRODUCTION: The arbitrary geriatric age cutoff of 65 may not accurately define older adults at higher risk of mortality following massive transfusion (MT). We sought to redefine a new geriatric age threshold for MT and understand its association with outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The 2013-2018 Trauma Quality Improvement Program database was queried for all adults who received ≥10 units of packed red blood cells (pRBCs) within 24 h of admission. A bootstrap analysis using multiple logistic regression established transfusion futility thresholds (TTs), where additional pRBCs no longer improved mortality for various age cutoffs. The age cutoff at which the TT for those relatively older and relatively younger was statistically significant was used to define the new "geriatric" age for MT. Outcomes were then compared between the newly defined geriatric and nongeriatric patients. RESULTS: The difference in TT first became significant when the age cutoff was 63 y. The TT for patients aged ≥63 y (new geriatric, n = 2870) versus <63 y (nongeriatric, n = 17,302) was 34 and 40 units of pRBCs, respectively (P = 0.04). Although geriatric patients had a higher Glasgow coma scale score (9 versus 6, P < 0.01) and lower abbreviated injury score-abdomen (3 versus 4, P < 0.01) than the nongeriatric, they suffered higher overall mortality (62% versus 45%, P < 0.01). A lower percentage of geriatric patients were discharged to home (7% versus 35%, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The new geriatric age for MT is 63 y, with a TT of 34 units. Despite suffering less severe injuries, physiologically "geriatric" patients have worse outcomes following MT.

Antepartum hemorrhage due to placenta previa with autologous transfusion: A case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Bleeding during pregnancy or during childbirth can cause significant morbidity and mortality for the mother and baby, this can be overcome by performing a caesarean section (C-section) and blood transfusions. Although blood transfusions can save lives, there is a risk such as transfusion reactions, transmission of infection, and anaphylaxis. Giving autologous blood transfusion can reduce the risk of these events. This case report aims to investigate the advantages of autologous blood transfusion in managing the patient's hemodynamic status compared to homologous blood transfusion. CASE PRESENTATION: A 21-year-old female (G2P1A0) with antepartum hemorrhage (APH) due to placenta previa underwent emergency C-section with intrauterine device installation and hysterectomy. The patient received an autologous transfusion to improving the hematocrits and hemoglobin within 30 min. Autologous transfusion provided routine postoperative hemodynamics, electrolytes, and blood stability. However, it could not completely replace homologous transfusion. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Autologous transfusion reduces transfusion response, infection risk, and immunosuppression. Consequently, it reduces the need for allogenic blood supplies and enables safer transfusion for people with rare blood types and various auto-antibodies. CONCLUSION: Autologous transfusions may provide better outcomes in C-section surgery for APH patients due to placenta previa. Thus, we recommend the use of autologous over homologous transfusion. Further research is required to compare them to a large population.

Machine learning models predict triage levels, massive transfusion protocol activation, and mortality in trauma utilizing patients hemodynamics on admission.

BACKGROUND: The effective management of trauma patients necessitates efficient triaging, timely activation of Massive Blood Transfusion Protocols (MTP), and accurate prediction of in-hospital outcomes. Machine learning (ML) algorithms have emerged as up-and-coming tools in the domains of optimizing triage decisions, improving intervention strategies, and predicting clinical outcomes, consistently outperforming traditional methodologies. This study aimed to develop, assess, and compare several ML models for the triaging processes, activation of MTP, and mortality prediction. METHODS: In a 10-year retrospective study, the predictive capabilities of seven ML models for trauma patients were systematically assessed using on-admission patients' hemodynamic data. All patient's data were randomly divided into training (80 %) and test (20 %) sets. Employing Python for data preprocessing, feature scaling, and model development, we evaluated K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Logistic Regression (LR), Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Machines (SVM) with RBF kernels, Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). We employed various imputation techniques and addressed data imbalance through down-sampling, up-sampling, and synthetic minority for the over-sampling technique (SMOTE). Hyperparameter tuning, coupled with 5-fold cross-validation, was performed. The evaluation included essential metrics like sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, accuracy, Area Under the Receiver Operating Curve (AUC ROC), and Area Under the Precision recall Curve (AUC PR), ensuring robust predictive capability. RESULT: This study included 17,390 adult trauma patients; of them, 19.5 % (3385) were triaged at a critical level, 3.8 % (664) required MTP, and 7.7 % (1335) died in the hospital. The model's performance improved using imputation and balancing techniques. The overall models demonstrated notable performance metrics for predicting triage, MTP activation, and mortality with F1 scores of 0.75, 0.42, and 0.79, sensitivities of 0.73, 0.82, and 0.9, and AUC ROC values of 0.89, 0.95 and 0.99 respectively. CONCLUSION: Machine learning, especially RF models, effectively predicted trauma triage, MTP activation, and mortality. Featured critical hemodynamic variables include shock indices, systolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure. Therefore, models can do better than individual parameters for the early management and disposition of patients in the ED. Future research should focus on creating sensitive and interpretable models to enhance trauma care.

Excessive use of preoperative blood type and antibody screening: A retrospective observational study conducted in a hospital in Norway.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to identify the blood transfusion rates for several surgical procedures in a single district general hospital and assess the value of preoperative blood type and antibody screen across all relevant surgical procedures. We hypothesized that there was an overuse of blood type and antibody screen in our general surgical population. METHODS: A database containing transfusions of patients who underwent elective- or emergency surgery from January 2015 to September 2020 was matched to a database of preoperative type-and-screen performed in the same period. Registered procedures where the incidence of transfusion is deemed low were excluded. The included procedures were assessed for the intraoperative usefulness of type- and-screen testing. RESULTS: In the included 68.892 surgeries, 36.134 (52.0%) blood samples were preoperatively tested for the blood type and screened for antibodies according to the hospital's routine. Overall 3.517 (5.1%) of surgeries had patients that received a transfusion in the perioperative period and 1.2% (n = 850) during the surgery. CONCLUSION: Most surgeries had a very low incidence of transfusion. Despite this, type-and-screen tests were widely used. This suggests the need for a more focused pre-surgery type-and-screen approach, and a more data driven approach to local guidelines in collaboration with surgical specialties.

Extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma involving the uterine cervix.

This is a case of primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma involving the uterine cervix which presented with irregular vaginal bleeding. The diagnosis was confirmed following multiple cervical biopsies. Treatment with a combination of immunotherapy, chemotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (R-CHOP)) and radiotherapy produced a good response.

Using microfluidic shear to assess transfusion requirements in trauma patients.

Background: Viscoelastic assays have widely been used for evaluating coagulopathies but lack the addition of shear stress important to in vivo clot formation. Stasys technology subjects whole blood to shear forces over factor-coated surfaces. Microclot formation is analyzed to determine clot area (CA) and platelet contractile forces (PCFs). We hypothesize the CA and PCF from this novel assay will provide information that correlates with trauma-induced coagulopathy and transfusion requirements. Methods: Blood samples were collected on adult trauma patients from a single-institution prospective cohort study of high-level activations. Patient and injury characteristics, transfusion data, and outcomes were collected. Thromboelastography, coagulation studies, and Stasys assays were run on paired samples collected at admission. Stasys CA and PCFs were quantified as area under the curve calculations and maximum values. Normal ranges for Stasys assays were determined using healthy donors. Data were compared using Kruskal-Wallis tests and simple linear regression. Results: From March 2021 to January 2023, 108 samples were obtained. Median age was 37.5 (IQR 27.5-52) years; patients were 77% male. 71% suffered blunt trauma, 26% had an Injury Severity Score of ≥25. An elevated international normalized ratio significantly correlated with decreased cumulative PCF (p=0.05), maximum PCF (p=0.05) and CA (p=0.02). Lower cumulative PCF significantly correlated with transfusion of any products at 6 and 24 hours (p=0.04 and p=0.05) as well as packed red blood cells (pRBCs) at 6 and 24 hours (p=0.04 and p=0.03). A decreased maximum PCF showed significant correlation with receiving any transfusion at 6 (p=0.04) and 24 hours (p=0.02) as well as transfusion of pRBCs, fresh frozen plasma, and platelets in the first 6 hours (p=0.03, p=0.03, p=0.03, respectively). Conclusions: Assessing coagulopathy in real time remains challenging in trauma patients. In this pilot study, we demonstrated that microfluidic approaches incorporating shear stress could predict transfusion requirements at time of admission as well as requirements in the first 24 hours. Level of evidence: Level II.

Nano fuzzy alarming system for blood transfusion requirement detection in cancer using deep learning.

Periodic blood transfusion is a need in cancer patients in which the disease process as well as the chemotherapy can disrupt the natural production of blood cells. However, there are concerns about blood transfusion side effects, the cost, and the availability of donated blood. Therefore, predicting the timely requirement for blood transfusion considering patient variability is a need, and here for the first-time deal with this issue in blood cancer using in vivo data. First, a data set of 98 samples of blood cancer patients including 61 features of demographic, clinical, and laboratory data are collected. After performing multivariate analysis and the approval of an expert, effective parameters are derived. Then using a deep recurrent neural network, a system is presented to predict a need for packed red blood cell transfusion. Here, we use a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network for modeling and the cross-validation technique with 5 layers for validation of the model along with comparing the result with networking and non-networking machine learning algorithms including bidirectional LSTM, AdaBoost, bagging decision tree based, bagging KNeighbors, and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP). Results show the LSTM outperforms the other methods. Then, using the swarm of fuzzy bioinspired nanomachines and the most effective parameters of Hgb, PaO2, and pH, we propose a feasibility study on nano fuzzy alarming system (NFABT) for blood transfusion requirements. Alarming decisions using the Internet of Things (IoT) gateway are delivered to the physician for performing medical actions. Also, NFABT is considered a real-time non-invasive AI-based hemoglobin monitoring and alarming method. Results show the merits of the proposed method.

Construction and validation of a nomogram for blood transfusion after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Few studies have focused on the risk factors leading to postoperative blood transfusion after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of proximal humeral fractures (PHFs) in the elderly. Therefore, we designed this study to explore potential risk factors of blood transfusion after ORIF for PHFs. We have also established a nomogram model to integrate and quantify our research results and give feedback. METHODS: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of elderly PHF patients undergoing ORIF from January 2020 to December 2021. We have established a multivariate regression model and nomograph. The prediction performance and consistency of the model were evaluated by the consistency coefficient and calibration curve, respectively. RESULTS: 162 patients met our inclusion criteria and were included in the final study. The following factors are related to the increased risk of transfusion after ORIF: time to surgery, fibrinogen levels, intraoperative blood loss, and surgical duration. CONCLUSIONS: Our patient-specific transfusion risk calculator uses a robust multivariable model to predict transfusion risk.The resulting nomogram can be used as a screening tool to identify patients with high transfusion risk and provide necessary interventions for these patients (such as preoperative red blood cell mobilization, intraoperative autologous blood transfusion, etc.).

Transfusion-Associated Circulatory Overload in a Healthy Patient Following a Road Traffic Accident: A Case Report.

Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) is a potentially fatal blood transfusion complication that often presents itself within 12 hours of transfusion cessation. We present a case of TACO in an orthopedic surgery patient to highlight the importance of anticipating and managing complications of blood loss and transfusion in an otherwise healthy patient.

Ozone Improves Oxygenation and Offers Organ Protection after Autologous Blood Transfusion in a Simulated Carbon Dioxide Pneumoperitoneal Environment in a Rabbit Hemorrhagic Shock Model.

Objectives: Autologous blood transfusion techniques are well applied in surgery, but the red blood cells (RBCs) collected during laparoscopic surgery may forfeit their ability to oxygenate. O3 is a potent oxidation gas. This study investigates whether O3 could improve the oxygen-carrying capacity of RBCs, reduce inflammatory reactions, and offer organ protection. Methods: We established a hemorrhagic shock model in rabbits, and simulated CO2 pneumoperitoneum and O3 were applied before autologous blood transfusion. Perioperative mean arterial pressure and arterial blood gas were recorded, blood gas and RBC morphology of collected blood were analyzed, plasma IL-6, ALT, AST, CRE, and lung histopathology POD0 and POD3 were tested, as well as postoperative survival quality. Results: Autologous blood that underwent simulated CO2 pneumoperitoneum had a lower pH and SaO2 and a higher PaCO2 than the control group. After O3 treatment, PaO2 and SaO2 increased significantly, with unchanged pH values and PaCO2. RBCs in autologous blood were drastically deformed after CO2 conditioning and then reversed to normal by O3 treatment. Rabbits that received CO2-conditioned autologous blood had a compromised survival quality after surgery, higher plasma IL-6 levels, higher lung injury scores on POD0, higher ALT and AST levels on POD3, and O3 treatment alleviated these adverse outcomes. Conclusion: O3 can restore RBC function, significantly improve blood oxygenation under simulated CO2 pneumoperitoneum, offer organ protection, and improve the postoperative survival quality in the rabbit hemorrhage shock model.

Hemoglobin C Disorder in Anemic Patients Referred to the National Center for Thalassemia and Genetic Counseling in Damascus.

Background: Hemoglobinopathies are common inherited blood disorders in our Mediterranean area. The main structural hemoglobin variants are hemoglobin S and hemoglobin C, due to their prevalence. We conducted this retrospective study to investigate and characterize hemoglobin C patients referred to the National Center for Thalassemia and Genetic Counseling and the management of hemoglobin C disease in Damascus. Materials and Methods: The study included patients referred to the National Center for Thalassemia and Genetic Counseling in Damascus between 2000 and 2022 for hemoglobin C detection. Gender, age, geographical origin, hemoglobin electrophoresis profile, and blood transfusion were considered for hemoglobin C patient classification. Blood transfusion in five consecutive years and linear regression with hemoglobin S and C values were determined. Results: 30 (14 males and 16 females) out of 624 patients between 3 and 46 years old (mean ± SD: 17.3 ± 9.7 years) showed hemoglobin C disease. Only eight patients (one male and seven females) received blood transfusions, and the remaining patients (13 males and 9 females) did not receive any transfusion. Only one patient with 100% hemoglobin C was detected; 19 showed HbSC, and 10 had HbAC. There was a significant correlation between hemoglobin S and geographical origin (P-value=0). Conclusion: A Homozygote hemoglobin C patient has mild hemolytic anemia, whereas the hemoglobin C 100% patient has only a one-time blood transfusion (he was 17 years old) in our study. The inherited combination of hemoglobin C and S is less severe than hemoglobin S alone. There is a significant relationship between hemoglobin S and geographical origin (p-value=0).