Advances and controversies in neonatal ICU platelet transfusion practice

Abstract

Some of the platelet transfusions currently given to NICU patients are unnecessary and convey no benefits. Although ordered with good intentions, unnecessary platelet transfusions carry known and unknown risks. Identifying and eliminating any unnecessary platelet transfusions in NICUs would be a step toward better care, lower costs, and more careful preservation of blood component resources. A renewed interest in platelet transfusion studies is needed, if essential data is to be gathered to improve NICU platelet transfusion practice. Retrospective studies can be of value: for instance, seeking associations between bleeding events and platelet counts can suggest the possibility of cause and effect relationships. Such studies might identify approximate platelet count levels that convey high hemorrhagic risk and might help focus future prospective trials. Prospective indirect studies also can be of value, for instance, measuring the template bleeding time and the PFA-100 closure time as a function of platelet count and perhaps as a function of circulating platelet mass, and would provide new information with relevance to platelet transfusion benefits. Such studies might give a better awareness of how low the platelet count can fall before platelet plug formation is impaired. It seems inescapable, however, that new, multicentered, randomized, prospective studies are needed, where NICU patients are assigned different platelet transfusion triggers and then carefully tracked for bleeding events and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. Only that type of study is likely to generate the evidence base needed for widespread implementation of improvements in NICU platelet transfusion practice.