Konventionelle vs. pathogeninaktivierte Thrombozytenkonzentrate bei perioperativer Koagulopathie: Eine prospektive Kohortenstudie

Coagulopathy management of multiple injured patients - a comprehensive literature review of the European guideline 2019

The European guideline on the management of trauma-induced major bleeding and coagulopathy summarises the most relevant recommendations for trauma coagulopathy management. The management of trauma-induced major bleeding should interdisciplinary follow algorithms which distinguish between life-threatening and non-life-threatening bleeding. Point-of-care viscoelastic methods (VEM) assist target-controlled haemostatic treatment. Neither conventional coagulation assays nor VEM should delay treatment in life-threatening trauma-induced bleeding. Adjustments may be rational due to local circumstances, including the availability of blood products, pharmaceuticals, and employees.

The platelets' perspective to pathogen reduction technologies

A wide variety of clinical conditions, associated with low circulating platelet counts, require platelet transfusion in order to normalize hemostatic function. Although single-donor apheresis platelets bear the lowest risk of transfusion-transmitted infections, pathogen reduction technologies (PRT) are being implemented worldwide to reduce this risk further through inactivation of known, emergent and as yet to be discovered nucleic acid-based pathogens. Human blood platelets are now known to harbor a diverse transcriptome, important to their function and comprised of >5000 protein-coding messenger RNAs and different classes of non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs. Our appreciation of the nucleic acid-dependent functions of platelets is likely to increase. On the other hand, the side effects of PRT on platelet function are underappreciated. Recent evidences suggest that PRT may compromise platelets' responsiveness to agonists, and induce platelet activation. For instance, platelets have the propensity to release proinflammatory microparticles (MPs) upon activation, and the possibility that PRT may enhance the production of platelet MPs in platelet concentrates (PCs) appears likely. With this in mind, it would be timely and appropriate to investigate other means to inactivate pathogens more specifically, or to modify the currently available PRT so to better preserve the platelet function and improve the safety of PCs; platelets' perspective to PRT deserves to be considered.

Management of hemorrhage in cardiothoracic surgery

Bleeding is an important issue in cardiothoracic surgery, and about 20% of all blood products are transfused in this clinical setting worldwide. Transfusion practices, however, are highly variable among different hospitals and more than 25% of allogeneic blood transfusions have been considered inappropriate. Furthermore, both bleeding and allogeneic blood transfusion are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and hospital costs. In the past decades, several attempts have been made to find a universal hemostatic agent to ensure hemostasis during and after cardiothoracic surgery. Most drugs studied in this context have either failed to reduce bleeding and transfusion requirements or were associated with severe adverse events, such as acute renal failure or thrombotic/thromboembolic events and, in some cases, increased mortality. Therefore, an individualized goal-directed hemostatic therapy ("theranostic" approach) seems to be more appropriate to stop bleeding in this complex clinical setting. The use of point-of-care (POC) transfusion and coagulation management algorithms guided by viscoelastic tests such as thromboelastometry/thromboelastography in combination with POC platelet function tests such as whole blood impedance aggregometry, and based on first-line therapy with fibrinogen and prothrombin complex concentrate have been associated with reduced allogeneic blood transfusion requirements, reduced incidence of thrombotic/thromboembolic and transfusion-related adverse events, and improved outcomes in cardiac surgery. This article reviews the current literature dealing with the management of hemorrhage in cardiothoracic surgery based on POC diagnostics and with specific coagulation factor concentrates and its impact on transfusion requirements and patients' outcomes.

Effects of platelet concentrate storage time reduction in patients after blood stem cell transplantation

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical effect of platelet concentrate (PC) transfusions after PC storage time reduction to 4 days.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a single-centre cohort study comparing two 3-month periods of time, before and after the reduction of PC storage time from 5 to 4 days. Seventy-seven consecutive patients with PC transfusions were enrolled after blood stem cell transplantation. Corrected platelet count increment (CCI) on the morning after transfusion, time to next platelet transfusion, need for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion and clinical bleeding symptoms were compared.

RESULTS

Platelet concentrate storage time was reduced between period 1 (storage for up to 5 days, median storage time 78 h, range 11-136 h) and period 2 (storage for up to 4 days, median storage time 53 h, range 11-112 h). Patients were comparable for age, weight, body surface area, underlying disorder, type of transplantation and transfused platelet dose. The CCI increased from a median of 4 (range 0-20) to 8 (0-68) × 10(9) /l per 10(11) platelets/m(2) (P < 0·0001). Time to next PC transfusion increased from 1·1 to 2·0 days (P < 0·0001). Any bleeding symptom was noted in 20 of 36 patients (56%) vs. 9/41 patients (22%, P < 0·01). Nose bleeds, haematuria and bleeding at more than one site were significantly reduced. Frequency of RBC transfusion within 5 days after PC transfusion was reduced from 74 to 58% (P < 0·0001).

CONCLUSION

Platelet concentrate storage time shortening was associated with highly significant CCI increase, reduced RC needs and lower patient numbers with bleeding events.