Dissecting the complexity of pediatric blood transfusions and risk of adverse reactions in Aotearoa New Zealand

BACKGROUND

Children have different clinical and physiological drivers for transfusion from adult recipients. However, adverse transfusion reactions (ATRs) in pediatric patients are usually reported using the same criteria as for adults. Broad assessments of pediatric ATRs neglect substantial variation in different developmental stages.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study included 342,950 patients, ~2.43 million transfusions, and 5,540 ATR reports collated from New Zealand hospitals between 2005 and 2021. Using 16 years as the upper age limit, 138,856 pediatric transfusions and 402 pediatric ATR reports were identified and dissected at three levels: pediatric as a whole, pediatric developmental stage (i.e., neonate, infant, preschool, and school), and chronological age to identify patients at high risk of ATRs. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was followed to quantify risk factors.

RESULTS

Pediatric recipients had a higher ATR risk than adults (p=6.9-07) but the high risk was associated mainly with children older than 2 years. Neonates and infants accounted for 75.0% of pediatric recipients but had much lower ATR rates than adults. Pediatric transfusion recipients showed a clear male bias prior to age 11 years and then a female bias. However, gender difference in experiencing ATRs was significant only after age 13 years (p=2.3-04). Analyses focusing on the high-risk group revealed allergic reactions being the cause of the elevated risk and identified the main risk factors of number of transfusions (p=4.5-10) and multiple types of components transfused (p=2.0-13).

DISCUSSION

The identified ATR risk factors signal linkage with the biological drivers for transfusion. Low ATR rates in infancy could also be attributed to use of neonatal components, low transfusions per patient, and less developed immunity. The relative increase in female recipients from age 11 may be associated with increased red blood cell demand following puberty.

Multi-institutional experience with COVID-19 convalescent plasma in children

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Convalescent COVID-19 plasma (CCP) was developed and used worldwide as a treatment option by supplying passive immunity. Adult studies suggest administering high-titer CCP early in the disease course of patients who are expected to be antibody-negative; however, pediatric experience is limited. We created a multi-institutional registry to characterize pediatric patients (<18 years) who received CCP and to assess the safety of this intervention.

METHODS

A REDCap survey was distributed. The registry collected de-identified data including demographic information (age, gender, and underlying conditions), COVID-19 disease features and concurrent treatments, CCP transfusion and safety events, and therapy response.

RESULTS

Ninety-five children received CCP: 90 inpatients and 5 outpatients, with a median age of 10.2 years (range 0-17.9). They were predominantly Latino/Hispanic and White. The most frequent underlying medical conditions were chronic respiratory disease, immunosuppression, obesity, and genetic syndromes. CCP was primarily given as a treatment (95%) rather than prophylaxis (5%). Median total plasma dose administered and transfusion rates were 5.0 ml/kg and 2.6 ml/kg/h, respectively. The transfusions were well-tolerated, with 3 in 115 transfusions reporting mild reactions. No serious adverse events were reported. Severity scores decreased significantly 7 days after CCP transfusion or at discharge. Eighty-five patients (94.4%) survived to hospital discharge. All five outpatients survived to 60 days.

CONCLUSIONS

CCP was found to be safe and well-tolerated in children. CCP was frequently given concurrently with other COVID-19-directed treatments with improvement in clinical severity scores ≥7 days after CCP, but efficacy could not be evaluated in this study.

The Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study-IV-Pediatric (REDS-IV-P): A research program striving to improve blood donor safety and optimize transfusion outcomes across the lifespan

BACKGROUND

The Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study-IV-Pediatric (REDS-IV-P) is a new iteration of prior National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) REDS programs that focus on improving transfusion recipient outcomes across the lifespan as well as the safety and availability of the blood supply.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The US program includes blood centers and hospitals (22 including 6 free-standing Children's hospitals) in four geographic regions. The Brazilian program has 5 participating hemocenters. A Center for Transfusion Laboratory Studies (CTLS) and a Data Coordinating Center (DCC) support synergistic studies and activities over the 7-year REDS-IV-P program.

RESULTS

The US is building a centralized, vein-to-vein (V2V) database, linking information collected from blood donors, their donations, the resulting manufactured components, and data extracts from hospital electronic medical records of transfused and non-transfused patients. Simultaneously, the Brazilian program is building a donor, donation, and component database. The databases will serve as the backbone for retrospective and prospective observational studies in transfusion epidemiology, transfusion recipient outcomes, blood component quality, and emerging blood safety issues. Special focus will be on preterm infants, patients with sickle cell disease, thalassemia or cancer, and the effect of donor biologic variability and component manufacturing on recipient outcomes. A rapid response capability to emerging safety threats has resulted in timely studies related to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).

CONCLUSIONS

The REDS-IV-P program endeavors to improve donor-recipient-linked research with a focus on children and special populations while also maintaining the flexibility to address emerging blood safety issues.

Neonatal and pediatric transfusion practices and policies in India: A survey-based cross-sectional assessment of blood centers

BACKGROUND

Blood centers play a critical role in supporting neonatal and pediatric transfusions. We aim to study the variation in pediatric/neonatal transfusion policies and practices for blood centers in India.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

This is a survey-based (45 question) cross-sectional assessment of blood centers in India supporting pediatric/neonatal transfusions.

RESULTS

One hundred three centers responded to the survey (response rate 51.2%; 103/201). As a part of pretransfusion testing, use of "microtainers" was reported by 58.4% (59/101) centers and only 57.4% (58/101) centers provide antibody screening. In case of absence of maternal sample, type O negative blood is most commonly used (48.5%; 49/101), and in case of ABO incompatibility, 68.3% (69/101) use units compatible with both mother and newborn. Leukoreduced RBCs are provided by 89% (90/101) centers and irradiated products are provided by 48.5% (49/101). 82% (83/101) of centers reported not receiving requests for CMV negative units considering the high incidence of CMV-seropositivity in donors. Fresh units are defined as <7 days old by 44.5% (45/101) and <5 days old by 31.6% (32/101) centers. 97% centers reported SAGM suspended RBCs in inventory but only 67.3% (68/101) use them for top-up transfusions to neonates. Overall >80% centers use the buffy-coat method for platelet concentrates preparation. Volume-based (ml/kg) aliquots preparation is done by 88% (89/101), mainly using the sterile connecting device (84.6%; 83/98).

CONCLUSION

This survey shows heterogeneity and lack of standardization in practices across blood centers in India and highlights the need for more studies to establish best practices for this vulnerable age group.

Contribution of donor- and recipient-associated factors to allergic transfusion reactions to platelets

BACKGROUND

Pediatric hematology-oncology patients require frequent platelet transfusions to manage chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia, and allergic transfusion reactions (ATRs) are common. Risk for platelet-associated ATRs can result from recipient- or donor-specific factors.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

We report a rare case in which an individual platelet donor caused repeated ATRs in multiple recipients. This observation led us to conduct a retrospective study at a pediatric hematology-oncology center to identify donor- and recipient-associated risk factors for ATRs.

RESULTS

Single-donor platelets from an individual donor precipitated ATRs in 78.6% (n = 11/14) of recipients and 66.7% (n = 12/18) of platelet transfusions. We found in a cohort of pediatric hematology-oncology patients that 12.6% of recipients and 1.0% of platelet transfusions were associated with ATRs. Recipients who were aged 4 to 18 years, male, and those with central nervous system or solid tumors and with a history of ATRs to platelets were more likely to experience ATRs. Donor-associated risk factors were not identified, and we did not implicate additional donors in our single-center cohort with a frequency of ATRs comparable to the index donor. Based on our findings, we developed a novel statistical model to identify recipients and donors prone to experiencing or mediating ATRs.

CONCLUSIONS

Both donors and recipients contribute to ATRs. Identification of high-risk donors and recipients for further scrutiny and potential interventions can improve the safety of platelet transfusions.

Blood Utilization and Transfusion Reactions in Pediatric Patients Transfused with Conventional or Pathogen Reduced Platelets

OBJECTIVES

To assess the safety and efficacy of a Food and Drug Administration-approved pathogen-reduced platelet (PLT) product in children, as ongoing questions regarding their use in this population remain.

STUDY DESIGN

We report findings from a quality assurance review of PLT utilization, associated red blood cell transfusion trends, and short-term safety of conventional vs pathogen-reduced PLTs over a 21-month period while transitioning from conventional to pathogen-reduced PLTs at a large, tertiary care hospital. We assessed utilization in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients, infants 0-1 year not in the NICU, and children age 1-18 years (PED).

RESULTS

In the 48 hours after an index conventional or pathogen-reduced platelet transfusion, respectively, NICU patients received 1.0 ± 1.4 (n = 91 transfusions) compared with 1.2 ± 1.3 (n = 145) additional platelet doses (P = .29); infants 0-1 year not in the NICU received 2.8 ± 3.0 (n = 125) vs 2.6 ± 2.6 (n = 254) additional platelet doses (P = .57); and PEDs received 0.9 ± 1.6 (n = 644) vs 1.4 ± 2.2 (n = 673) additional doses (P < .001). Time to subsequent transfusion and red cell utilization were similar in every group (P > .05). The number and type of transfusion reactions did not significantly vary based on PLT type and no rashes were reported in NICU patients receiving phototherapy and pathogen-reduced PLTs.

CONCLUSIONS

Conventional and pathogen-reduced PLTs had similar utilization patterns in our pediatric populations. A small, but statistically significant, increase in transfusions was noted following pathogen-reduced PLT transfusion in PED patients, but not in other groups. Red cell utilization and transfusion reactions were similar for both products in all age groups.