Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May;49(5):3000605211016748.
doi: 10.1177/03000605211016748.

Pooled platelet concentrates provide a small benefit over single-donor platelets for patients with platelet refractoriness of any etiology

Ying-Hsia Chu  1 , William Nicholas Rose  1 , William Nawrot  1 , Thomas J Raife  1
Affiliations

Pooled platelet concentrates provide a small benefit over single-donor platelets for patients with platelet refractoriness of any etiology

Ying-Hsia Chu et al. J Int Med Res. 2021 May.

Abstract

Background: At our institution, patients with platelet refractoriness (of any etiology) are sometimes switched from apheresis platelets to pooled platelets before human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched units become available.

Study design and methods: Seven patients were analyzed. Platelet counts were available from 57 single-unit transfusions (26 pooled, 31 apheresis). A mixed linear effects model was used and significance was determined using a likelihood ratio test.

Results: When analyzed as the only fixed effect in the model, the use of pooled versus single-donor units and time from transfusion to post-transfusion blood sampling each showed a significant effect on platelet count increments. A mixed linear effect model including both factors showed that transfusing a pooled unit correlated with a 4500±2000/µL greater platelet count increment compared with a single-donor unit, and an increase in time from transfusion to post-transfusion blood sampling lowered the platelet count increment by 300±100/µL per hour.

Conclusion: A small but potentially clinically relevant benefit was observed in transfusing pooled random-donor platelets compared with single-donor units for patients with platelet refractoriness (of any etiology).

Keywords: Platelet refractoriness; alloantibody; apheresis; human leukocyte antigen; platelet transfusion; pooled; random donor.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Legler TJ, Fischer I, Dittmann J, et al. Frequency and causes of refractoriness in multiply transfused patients. Ann Hematol 1997; 74: 185–189. - PubMed
    1. Klingemann HG, Self S, Banaji M, et al. Refractoriness to random donor platelet transfusions in patients with aplastic anaemia: a multivariate analysis of data from 264 cases. Br J Haematol 1987; 66: 115–121. - PubMed
    1. Slichter SJ, Davis K, Enright H, et al. Factors affecting posttransfusion platelet increments, platelet refractoriness, and platelet transfusion intervals in thrombocytopenic patients. Blood 2005; 105: 4106–4114. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stanworth SJ, Navarrete C, Estcourt L, et al. Platelet refractoriness–practical approaches and ongoing dilemmas in patient management. Br J Haematol 2015; 171: 297–305. - PubMed
    1. Kurz M, Greinix H, Hocker P, et al. Specificities of anti-platelet antibodies in multitransfused patients with haemato-oncological disorders. Br J Haematol 1996; 95: 564–569. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources