The safety of ABO minor incompatible platelets transfusions using a rapid infuser

BACKGROUND

Administering platelets through a rapid infuser is proven to be safe. However, the clinical significance of infusing ABO-incompatible platelets with red blood cells (RBCs) in a rapid infuser remains unclear. There is a theoretical risk that isoagglutinin in the plasma of a platelet unit can interact with RBCs and induce hemolysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seven in vitro studies were performed including five cases (type A RBCs and type O platelets) and two controls (type A RBCs and platelets). Anti-A titers were measured in platelet units. An RBC unit and a platelet unit were mixed in the rapid infuser reservoir and incubated for 30 min. The primary outcome was the presence of hemolysis based on the following parameters: free hemoglobin concentration, hemolysis check, direct antiglobulin test (DAT), and direct agglutination.

RESULTS

The post-mix DAT was positive for IgG in all test samples (5/5), and weakly positive for complement in 3/5. The changes in free Hb in test cases between measured and calculated post-mix spanned -2.2 to +3.4 mg/dL. Post-mix hemolysis check was negative in 3/5 and slightly positive in 2/5 cases, with no significant differences compared to the control case. Anti-A titers ranged from 16 to 512 and were not associated with hemolysis. All samples were negative for direct agglutination.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggested that mixing ABO-incompatible platelets with RBCs in a rapid infuser does not induce in vitro hemolysis. These findings support the use of rapid infusers regardless of platelet compatibility in support of hemostatic resuscitation.

Danger, Danger, Gaston Labat! Does zero-shot artificial intelligence correlate with anticoagulation guidelines recommendations for neuraxial anesthesia?

INTRODUCTION

Artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) have emerged as potentially disruptive technologies in healthcare. In this study GPT-3.5, an accessible LLM, was assessed for its accuracy and reliability in performing guideline-based evaluation of neuraxial bleeding risk in hypothetical patients on anticoagulation medication. The study also explored the impact of structured prompt guidance on the LLM's performance.

METHODS

A dataset of 10 hypothetical patient stems and 26 anticoagulation profiles (260 unique combinations) was developed based on American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine guidelines. Five prompts were created for the LLM, ranging from minimal guidance to explicit instructions. The model's responses were compared with a "truth table" based on the guidelines. Performance metrics, including accuracy and area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), were used.

RESULTS

Baseline performance of GPT-3.5 was slightly above chance. With detailed prompts and explicit guidelines, performance improved significantly (AUC 0.70, 95% CI (0.64 to 0.77)). Performance varied among medication classes.

DISCUSSION

LLMs show potential for assisting in clinical decision making but rely on accurate and relevant prompts. Integration of LLMs should consider safety and privacy concerns. Further research is needed to optimize LLM performance and address complex scenarios. The tested LLM demonstrates potential in assessing neuraxial bleeding risk but relies on precise prompts. LLM integration should be approached cautiously, considering limitations. Future research should focus on optimization and understanding LLM capabilities and limitations in healthcare.

What's in Your Transfusion? A Bedside Guide to Blood Products and Their Preparation

An understanding of the contents of blood products and how they are modified before transfusion will help any physician. This article will review five basic blood products and the five most common product modifications.

Red Blood Cell Transfusion: 2023 AABB International Guidelines

Importance

Red blood cell transfusion is a common medical intervention with benefits and harms.

Objective

To provide recommendations for use of red blood cell transfusion in adults and children.

Evidence Review

Standards for trustworthy guidelines were followed, including using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methods, managing conflicts of interest, and making values and preferences explicit. Evidence from systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials was reviewed.

Findings

For adults, 45 randomized controlled trials with 20 599 participants compared restrictive hemoglobin-based transfusion thresholds, typically 7 to 8 g/dL, with liberal transfusion thresholds of 9 to 10 g/dL. For pediatric patients, 7 randomized controlled trials with 2730 participants compared a variety of restrictive and liberal transfusion thresholds. For most patient populations, results provided moderate quality evidence that restrictive transfusion thresholds did not adversely affect patient-important outcomes. Recommendation 1: for hospitalized adult patients who are hemodynamically stable, the international panel recommends a restrictive transfusion strategy considering transfusion when the hemoglobin concentration is less than 7 g/dL (strong recommendation, moderate certainty evidence). In accordance with the restrictive strategy threshold used in most trials, clinicians may choose a threshold of 7.5 g/dL for patients undergoing cardiac surgery and 8 g/dL for those undergoing orthopedic surgery or those with preexisting cardiovascular disease. Recommendation 2: for hospitalized adult patients with hematologic and oncologic disorders, the panel suggests a restrictive transfusion strategy considering transfusion when the hemoglobin concentration is less than 7 g/dL (conditional recommendations, low certainty evidence). Recommendation 3: for critically ill children and those at risk of critical illness who are hemodynamically stable and without a hemoglobinopathy, cyanotic cardiac condition, or severe hypoxemia, the international panel recommends a restrictive transfusion strategy considering transfusion when the hemoglobin concentration is less than 7 g/dL (strong recommendation, moderate certainty evidence). Recommendation 4: for hemodynamically stable children with congenital heart disease, the international panel suggests a transfusion threshold that is based on the cardiac abnormality and stage of surgical repair: 7 g/dL (biventricular repair), 9 g/dL (single-ventricle palliation), or 7 to 9 g/dL (uncorrected congenital heart disease) (conditional recommendation, low certainty evidence).

Conclusions and Relevance

It is good practice to consider overall clinical context and alternative therapies to transfusion when making transfusion decisions about an individual patient.

Would doctors dream of electric blood bankers? Large language model-based artificial intelligence performs well in many aspects of transfusion medicine

BACKGROUND

Large language models (LLMs) excel at answering knowledge-based questions. Many aspects of blood banking and transfusion medicine involve no direct patient care and require only knowledge and judgment. We hypothesized that public LLMs could perform such tasks with accuracy and precision.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

We presented three sets of tasks to three publicly-available LLMs (Bard, GPT-3.5, and GPT-4). The first was to review short case presentations and then decide if a red blood cell transfusion was indicated. The second task was to answer a set of consultation questions common in clinical transfusion practice. The third task was to take a multiple-choice test experimentally validated to assess internal medicine postgraduate knowledge of transfusion practice (the BEST-TEST).

RESULTS

In the first task, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for correct transfusion decisions was 0.65, 0.90, and 0.92, respectively for Bard, GPT-3.5 and GPT-4. All three models had a modest rate of acceptable responses to the consultation questions. Average scores on the BEST-TEST were 55%, 40%, and 87%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

When presented with transfusion medicine tasks in natural language, publicly available LLMs demonstrated a range of ability, but GPT-4 consistently scored very well in all tasks. Research is needed to assess the utility of LLMs in transfusion medicine practice. Transfusion Medicine physicians should consider their role alongside such technologies, and how they might be used for the benefit and safety of patients.

Current advances in 2022: A critical review of selected topics by the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee

BACKGROUND

The Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee (CTMC) composes a summary of new and important advances in transfusion medicine (TM) on an annual basis. Since 2018, this has been assembled into a manuscript and published in Transfusion.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

CTMC members selected original manuscripts relevant to TM that were published electronically and/or in print during calendar year 2022. Papers were selected based on perceived importance and/or originality. References for selected papers were made available to CTMC members to provide feedback. Members were also encouraged to identify papers that may have been omitted initially. They then worked in groups of two to three to write a summary for each new publication within their broader topic. Each topic summary was then reviewed and edited by two separate committee members. The final manuscript was assembled by the first and senior authors. While this review is extensive, it is not a systematic review and some publications considered important by readers may have been excluded.

RESULTS

For calendar year 2022, summaries of key publications were assembled for the following broader topics within TM: blood component therapy; infectious diseases, blood donor testing, and collections; patient blood management; immunohematology and genomics; hemostasis; hemoglobinopathies; apheresis and cell therapy; pediatrics; and health care disparities, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

DISCUSSION

This Committee Report reviews and summarizes important publications and advances in TM published during calendar year 2022, and maybe a useful educational tool.

Fundamentals of blood banking in anesthesiology: A problem-based learning simulation session as an addition to a novel curriculum of transfusion medicine education for anesthesiology residents

We have previously published a novel transfusion medicine curriculum for first-year anesthesiology residents, making available open access learning materials. We now present a curriculum iteration, by incorporating resident feedback and developing an additional "capstone" session for use at the end of the rotation that integrates several learning points into a practical problem-based simulation. This iteration of the curriculum was piloted with the 2019-2020 PGY-1 anesthesiology residents of the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics. Pre-course and post-course surveys, which assessed trainee understanding of course topics, were used to subjectively evaluate the usefulness of the curriculum. Results of the surveys demonstrated post-test mean scores were significantly increased when compared with the equivalent pre-course questions. This suggests the piloted curriculum iteration serves as a useful tool for resident learning. As an adjunct to our previous existing materials, in the spirit of open-access education, we share this additional curriculum material, consisting of four patient cases with 16 questions that can be used immediately for teaching purposes.

Pre-operative anemia and peri-operative transfusion are associated with poor oncologic outcomes in cancers of the esophagus: potential impact of patient blood management on cancer outcomes

BACKGROUND

Both Red Blood Cell (RBC) transfusion and anemia are thought to negatively impact cancer survival. These effects have been reported with mixed findings in cancer of the esophagus. The potential impact of the application of restrictive transfusion strategies on this patient population has not been defined.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of esophagectomies and studied cases based on whether they were anemic or were transfused peri-operatively. Clinical characteristics and known clinicopathologic prognosticators were compared between these groups. Survival was compared by Cox proportional hazard modeling. Post-operative transfusions were assessed for compliance with restrictive transfusion thresholds.

RESULTS

Three-hundred ninety-nine esophagectomy cases were reviewed and after exclusions 348 cases were analyzed. The median length of follow-up was 33 months (range 1-152 months). Sixty-four percent of patients were anemic pre-operatively and 22% were transfused. Transfusion and anemia were closely related to each other. Microcytic anemia was uncommon but was evaluated and treated in only 50% of cases. Most anemic patients had normocytic RBC parameters. Transfusion but not anemia was associated with a protracted/prolonged post-operative stay. Transfusion and anemia were both associated with reduced survival however only anemia was associated with decreased survival in multi-variable modeling. Sixty-eight percent of patients were transfused post-operatively and 11% were compliant with the restrictive threshold of 7 g/dL.

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-operative anemia and transfusion are closely associated, however only anemia was found to compromise survival in our esophageal cancer cohort, supporting the need for more aggressive evaluation and treatment of anemia. Adherence to restrictive transfusion guidelines offers an opportunity to reduce transfusion rates which may also improve short-term outcomes.

Blood utilization in liver transplantation (BUILT): A multidisciplinary survey of transfusion practices

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to survey liver transplant centers in the United States to assess baseline practices in blood utilization and identify opportunities for standardization to optimize blood use in these complex cases.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Two surveys, one for transfusion medicine physicians and the other for anesthesiologists, were distributed to high-volume liver transplant centers.

RESULTS

The response rate was 52% for both surveys. The majority of respondents (90%) indicated they issue a standardized number of blood products to start surgeries. The most common number of products issued before the start of cases were 10 red blood cells (RBC) and 10 plasma units with no platelets or cryoprecipitate. On average, fewer RBC (7.5) and plasma (7) units were transfused than issued. Decisions to transfuse RhD+ RBCs to RhD- patients and use antigen untested units in alloimmunized patients were mainly handled on a case-by-case basis. Many centers reported utilizing viscoelastic testing (97%) and cell salvage (97%). Most centers reported standardized, laboratory-based intraoperative transfusion goals for RBCs (65%) and fibrinogen replacement (52%) but lacked a standardized approach for plasma (55%) and platelets (58%).

DISCUSSION

More blood products are issued during surgery than are transfused. Responses from anesthesiology providers suggest a broad consensus on practice. Almost all respondents use viscoelastic testing in the management of intraoperative coagulopathy, either alone or in combination with classical coagulation tests. The majority of programs do not transfuse clotting factor concentrates, including fibrinogen concentrate, prothrombin complex concentrates, and recombinant activated FVII, and do not use antifibrinolytics prophylactically.

The Future of Cardiothoracic Surgical Critical Care Medicine as a Medical Science: A Call to Action

Cardiothoracic surgical critical care medicine (CT-CCM) is a medical discipline centered on the perioperative care of diverse groups of patients. With an aging demographic and an increase in burden of chronic diseases the utilization of cardiothoracic surgical critical care units is likely to escalate in the coming decades. Given these projections, it is important to assess the state of cardiothoracic surgical intensive care, to develop goals and objectives for the future, and to identify knowledge gaps in need of scientific inquiry. This two-part review concentrates on CT-CCM as its own subspeciality of critical care and cardiothoracic surgery and provides aspirational goals for its practitioners and scientists. In part one, a list of guiding principles and a call-to-action agenda geared towards growth and promotion of CT-CCM are offered. In part two, an evaluation of selected scientific data is performed, identifying gaps in CT-CCM knowledge, and recommending direction to future scientific endeavors.

Coagulopathy and hemostasis management in patients undergoing liver transplantation: Defining a dynamic spectrum across phases of care

Patients with acute and chronic liver disease present with a wide range of disease states and severity that may require liver transplantation (LT). Physiologic alterations occur that are dynamic throughout all phases of perioperative care, creating complex management scenarios that necessitate multidisciplinary clinical care. Specifically, alterations in hemostasis in liver disease can be pronounced and evolve with disease progression over time. Recent studies and society guidance address this emerging paradigm and offer recommendations to assist with hemostatic management in patients with liver disease. However, patients undergoing LT are unique and diverse, often with unstable disease that requires specialized approaches. Our aim is to provide a focused review of hemostatic management of the LT patient, distinguish unique aspects of the three main phases of care (before LT, perioperative, and after LT), and identify knowledge gaps and critical areas of future research.

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.

Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients treated with Convalescent Plasma in a Mid-size City in the Midwest

BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 and its associated disease, COVID-19, has infected over seven million people world-wide, including two million people in the United States. While many people recover from the virus uneventfully, a subset of patients will require hospital admission, some with intensive care needs including intubation, and mechanical ventilation. To date there is no cure and no vaccine is available. Passive immunotherapy by the transfusion of convalescent plasma donated by COVID-19 recovered patients might be an effective option to combat the virus, especially if used early in the course of disease. Here we report our experience of using convalescent plasma at a tertiary care center in a mid-size, midwestern city that did not experience an overwhelming patient surge. Methods Hospitalized COVID-19 patients categorized as having Severe or Life-Threatening disease according to the Mayo Clinic Emergency Access Protocol were screened, consented, and treated with convalescent plasma collected from local donors recovered from COVID-19 infection. Clinical data and outcomes were collected retrospectively. Results 31 patients were treated, 16 severe patients and 15 life-threatened patients. Overall mortality was 27% (4/31) but only patients with life-threatening disease died. 94% of transfused patients with severe disease avoided escalation to ICU care and mechanical ventilation. 67% of patients with life-threatening disease were able to be extubated. Most transfused patients had a rapid decrease in their respiratory support requirements on or about day 7 following convalescent plasma transfusion. ConclusionOur results demonstrate that convalescent plasma is associated with reducing ventilatory requirements in patients with both severe and life-threatening disease, but appears to be most beneficial when administered early in the course of disease when patients meet the criteria for severe illness.

Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients treated with Convalescent Plasma in a Mid-size City in the Midwest

Background

SARS-CoV-2 and its associated disease, COVID-19, has infected over seven million people world-wide, including two million people in the United States. While many people recover from the virus uneventfully, a subset of patients will require hospital admission, some with intensive care needs including intubation, and mechanical ventilation. To date there is no cure and no vaccine is available. Passive immunotherapy by the transfusion of convalescent plasma donated by COVID-19 recovered patients might be an effective option to combat the virus, especially if used early in the course of disease. Here we report our experience of using convalescent plasma at a tertiary care center in a mid-size, midwestern city that did not experience an overwhelming patient surge.

Methods

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients categorized as having Severe or Life-Threatening disease according to the Mayo Clinic Emergency Access Protocol were screened, consented, and treated with convalescent plasma collected from local donors recovered from COVID-19 infection. Clinical data and outcomes were collected retrospectively.

Results

31 patients were treated, 16 severe patients and 15 life-threatened patients. Overall mortality was 27% (4/31) but only patients with life-threatening disease died. 94% of transfused patients with severe disease avoided escalation to ICU care and mechanical ventilation. 67% of patients with life-threatening disease were able to be extubated. Most transfused patients had a rapid decrease in their respiratory support requirements on or about day 7 following convalescent plasma transfusion.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate that convalescent plasma is associated with reducing ventilatory requirements in patients with both severe and life-threatening disease, but appears to be most beneficial when administered early in the course of disease when patients meet the criteria for severe illness.

Health Numeracy and Relative Risk Comprehension in Perioperative Patients and Physicians

BACKGROUND

Helping patients to understand relative risks is challenging. In discussions with patients, physicians often use numbers to describe hazards, make comparisons, and establish relevance. Patients with a poor understanding of numbers-poor "health numeracy"-also have difficulty making decisions and coping with chronic conditions. Although the importance of "health literacy" in perioperative populations is recognized, health numeracy has not been well studied. Our aim was to compare understanding of numbers, risk, and risk modification between a patient population awaiting surgery under general anesthesia and attending physicians at the same center.

METHODS

We performed a single-center cross-sectional survey study to compare patients' and physicians' health numeracy. The study instrument was based on the Schwartz-Lipkus survey and included 3 simple health numeracy questions and 2 risk reduction questions in the anesthesiology domain. The survey was mailed to patients over the age of 18 scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia between June and September 2019, as well as attending physicians at the study center.

RESULTS

Two hundred thirteen of 502 (42%) patient surveys sent and 268 of 506 (53%) physician surveys sent were returned. Median patient score was 4 of 5, but 32% had a score of ≤3. Patients significantly overestimated their total scores by an average of 0.5 points (estimated [mean ± standard deviation (SD)] = 4.3 ± 1.2 vs actual 3.8 ± 1.3; P < .001). Health numeracy was significantly associated with higher educational level (gamma = 0.351; P < .001) and higher-income level (gamma = 0.397; P < .001). Physicians' health numeracy was significantly higher than the patients' (median [interquartile range {IQR}] = 5 [4-5] vs 4 [3-5]; P < .001). There was no significant difference between physicians' self-estimated and actual total numeracy score (mean ± SD = 4.8 ± 0.6 vs 4.7 ± 0.6; P = .372). Simple health numeracy (questions 1-3) was predictive of correct risk reduction responses (questions 4, 5) for both patients (gamma = 0.586; P < .001) and physicians (gamma = 0.558; P = .006).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients had poor health numeracy compared to physicians and tended to overrate their abilities. A small proportion of physicians also had poor numeracy. Poor health numeracy was associated with incomprehension of risk modification, suggesting that some patients may not understand treatment efficacy. These disparities suggest a need for further inquiry into how to improve patient comprehension of risk modification.

Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients treated with Convalescent Plasma in a Mid-size City in the Midwest

Background: SARS-CoV-2 and its associated disease, COVID-19, has infected over seven million people world-wide, including two million people in the United States. While many people recover from the virus uneventfully, a subset of patients will require hospital admission, some with intensive care needs including intubation, and mechanical ventilation. To date there is no cure and no vaccine is available. Passive immunotherapy by the transfusion of convalescent plasma donated by COVID-19 recovered patients might be an effective option to combat the virus, especially if used early in the course of disease. Here we report our experience of using convalescent plasma at a tertiary care center in a mid-size, midwestern city that did not experience an overwhelming patient surge. Methods: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients categorized as having Severe or Life-Threatening disease according to the Mayo Clinic Emergency Access Protocol were screened, consented, and treated with convalescent plasma collected from local donors recovered from COVID-19 infection. Clinical data and outcomes were collected retrospectively. Results: 31 patients were treated, 16 severe patients and 15 life-threatened patients. Overall mortality was 27% (4/31) but only patients with life-threatening disease died. 94% of transfused patients with severe disease avoided escalation to ICU care and mechanical ventilation. 67% of patients with life-threatening disease were able to be extubated. Most transfused patients had a rapid decrease in their respiratory support requirements on or about day 7 following convalescent plasma transfusion. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that convalescent plasma is associated with reducing ventilatory requirements in patients with both severe and life-threatening disease, but appears to be most beneficial when administered early in the course of disease when patients meet the criteria for severe illness.

Persistent viral RNA shedding after COVID-19 symptom resolution in older convalescent plasma donors

Introduction

The novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), is responsible for a worldwide pandemic. While the medical community understands the mode of viral transmission, less is known about how long viral shedding occurs once viral symptoms have resolved. Our objective was to determine how long the SARS‐CoV‐2 remains detectable following self‐reporting of viral symptom resolution.

Methods

This study was approved by the University of Wisconsin Institutional Review Board. A cohort of patients who were previously SARS‐CoV‐2 positive less than 28 days after self‐reported symptom resolution were retested for proof of viral recovery by nasal swab reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA.

Results

A total of 152 potential participants were screened, of which 5 declined, 54 were ineligible, and 93 were recruited; 86 of 93 completed testing. Eleven of 86 (13%) were still positive at a median of 19 days (range, 12‐24 days) after symptom resolution. Positive participants were significantly older than negative participants (mean, 54 years; 95% confidence interval [CI], 44‐63 vs 42 years; 95% CI, 38‐46; P = .024). C_T values were significantly, inversely associated with age (β = −.04; r² = 0.389; P = .04). The number of days since symptom recovery was not apparently different between positive and negative participants.

Conclusion

We found evidence of persistent viral shedding in nasopharyngeal secretions more than 2 weeks after resolution of symptoms from confirmed COVID‐19 infection. Persistent shedding was more common in older participants, and viral load was higher among older positive participants. These results underscore the necessity of testing COVID‐19 convalescent plasma donors less than 28 days after symptom resolution.

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients treated with Convalescent Plasma in a mid-size city in the midwest

Background SARS-CoV-2 and its associated disease, COVID-19, has infected over seven million people world-wide, including two million people in the United States. While many people recover from the virus uneventfully, a subset of patients will require hospital admission, some with intensive care needs including intubation, and mechanical ventilation. To date there is no cure and no vaccine is available. Passive immunotherapy by the transfusion of convalescent plasma donated by COVID-19 recovered patients might be an effective option to combat the virus, especially if used early in the course of disease. Here we report our experience of using convalescent plasma at a tertiary care center in a mid-size, midwestern city that did not experience an overwhelming patient surge. Methods Hospitalized COVID-19 patients categorized as having Severe or Life-Threatening disease according to the Mayo Clinic Emergency Access Protocol were screened, consented, and treated with convalescent plasma collected from local donors recovered from COVID-19 infection. Clinical data and outcomes were collected retrospectively. Results 31 patients were treated, 16 severe patients and 15 life-threatened patients. Overall mortality was 27% (4/31) but only patients with life-threatening disease died. 94% of transfused patients with severe disease avoided escalation to ICU care and mechanical ventilation. 67% of patients with life-threatening disease were able to be extubated. Most transfused patients had a rapid decrease in their respiratory support requirements on or about day 7 following convalescent plasma transfusion. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that convalescent plasma is associated with reducing ventilatory requirements in patients with both severe and life-threatening disease, but appears to be most beneficial when administered early in the course of disease when patients meet the criteria for severe illness.

Therapeutic plasma exchange for exogenous insulin antibody syndrome in combined variable immunodeficiency: a case report

A 32-year-old male with type I diabetes presented with profound hypoglycemia due to exogenous insulin antibody syndrome in the setting of newly-diagnosed common variable immunodeficiency. Immunomodulatory therapy was not initially effective, but after the initiation of plasma exchange hypoglycemia resolved, and glucose lability improved.

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients treated with convalescent plasma in a mid-size city in the Midwest

BACKGROUND

SARS-CoV-2 and its associated disease, COVID-19, has infected over seven million people world-wide, including two million people in the United States. While many people recover from the virus uneventfully, a subset of patients will require hospital admission, some with intensive care needs including intubation, and mechanical ventilation. To date there is no cure and no vaccine is available. Passive immunotherapy by the transfusion of convalescent plasma donated by COVID-19 recovered patients might be an effective option to combat the virus, especially if used early in the course of disease. Here we report our experience of using convalescent plasma at a tertiary care center in a mid-size, midwestern city that did not experience an overwhelming patient surge.

METHODS

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients categorized as having Severe or Life-Threatening disease according to the Mayo Clinic Emergency Access Protocol were screened, consented, and treated with convalescent plasma collected from local donors recovered from COVID-19 infection. Clinical data and outcomes were collected retrospectively.

RESULTS

31 patients were treated, 16 severe patients and 15 life-threatened patients. Overall mortality was 27% (4/31) but only patients with life-threatening disease died. 94% of transfused patients with severe disease avoided escalation to ICU care and mechanical ventilation. 67% of patients with life-threatening disease were able to be extubated. Most transfused patients had a rapid decrease in their respiratory support requirements on or about day 7 following convalescent plasma transfusion.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that convalescent plasma is associated with reducing ventilatory requirements in patients with both severe and life-threatening disease, but appears to be most beneficial when administered early in the course of disease when patients meet the criteria for severe illness.

Volatile anesthesia for a pediatric patient with very long-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency: A case report

We report the case of a 3-year-old boy with very long-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency presenting for adenotonsillectomy who was successfully and safely managed with a balanced anesthetic including sevoflurane. The anesthetic management is described, and the controversy surrounding volatile anesthetics in these patients is discussed.

Gender Diversity in Anesthesiology Programs: The Role of Current Residents and Department Leadership in the 2014 Match Results

BACKGROUND

Nearly half of graduates of American medical colleges are women, yet the percentage of women entering accredited anesthesiology programs remains less than 40%. There are obviously many factors that influence the choice of a residency training program, from geography to reputation to the atmosphere, composition and camaraderie of the department. We examined whether a greater number of current female residents, a female Chair, or a female Program Director were associated with a program matching a greater number of female candidates in the 2014 NRMP Match.

METHODS

An electronic questionnaire was sent to all 132 ACGME-accredited anesthesiology programs immediately following the 2014 Match seeking information on the gender mix of their current residents, the gender of the Chair and Program Director, and the gender composition of their newly-matched candidates.

RESULTS

The percentage of current female residents was significantly associated with the percentage of incoming female residents (p = 0.013). There was no association between the percentage of new female residents obtained in the Match and the presence of a female Chair or Program Director.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the 2013 NRMP anesthesiology match indicate that programs with a higher proportion of female residents were able to sustain that diversity and successfully match a higher percentage of female candidates. No correlation was seen with Chair and Program Director gender, suggesting further work is needed to define the influence of female role models on female applicants' choice of anesthesiology residency programs.

Prior colonization is associated with increased risk of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteremia in cancer patients

We hypothesized that prior colonization with antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria is associated with increased risk of subsequent antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteremia among cancer patients. We performed a matched case-control study. Cases were cancer patients with a blood culture positive for antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Controls were cancer patients with a blood culture not positive for antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Prior colonization was defined as any antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in surveillance or non-sterile-site cultures obtained 2-365 days before the bacteremia. Thirty-two (37%) of 86 cases and 27 (8%) of 323 matched controls were previously colonized by any antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Prior colonization was strongly associated with antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteremia (odds ratio [OR] 7.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.5-14.7) after controlling for recent treatment with piperacillin-tazobactam (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3-4.8). In these patients with suspected bacteremia, prior cultures may predict increased risk of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteremia.