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Current Conversations Regarding the Natural History of Sickle Cell Trait
| Sickle Cell Trait (SCT) is defined as the heterozygous inheritance of sickle hemoglobin. This represents the carrier state for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). In the United States, 6 to 9% of African Americans and 0.01 to 0.07% of others have SCT. Elsewhere, the prevalence is 2 to 30%. In general, individuals who carry SCT have a normal lifespan.1 Given ongoing public and medical discussions about SCT and mortality, we are sharing this update to highlight current evidence and facilitate appropriate clinical understanding. |
Articles
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New Information on Blood Donation
Blood donors are the foundation of the blood supply. A session at the AABB Annual Meeting in October 2025 featured abstracts highlighting new information on donors and donation patterns.1 Emily Coberly, MD, of the American Red Cross (ARC) presented the results of a 2024-2025 AABB Transfusion Medicine Subsection survey of directed blood donation practices in the US and Canada. The respondents were grouped into hospitals without donor collection (82%),…
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Practical Guidance for Prehospital Transfusion by Emergency Medical Services
The rapid expansion to 46 U.S. states underscores the growing acceptance of prehospital transfusion by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as a lifesaving intervention, though implementation is heterogeneous across jurisdictions and dependent on medical oversight, logistics, and reimbursement. PLUS is highlighting two articles this month, beginning with a review by Levy et al 1 of the…
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What Are CAR-T Cells and What Is the American Red Cross Doing About Them?
T-cells play a pivotal role in the immune system’s response to cancer. Unlike B-cells which make antibodies, T-cells act directly in a cell-to-cell fashion. CAR-T stands for chimeric antigen receptor T-cells. The word “chimeric” means having parts from two or more origins. To accomplish this, T-cells are collected from the blood of a patient or…
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Cold-Stored Platelets and Room Temperature Platelets
With the introduction of cold-stored platelets (CSP) into practice, transfusion services have encountered challenges in interpreting FDA guidance. The FDA indicates that CSP may be used to treat active bleeding when conventional platelets—room temperature platelets (RTP)—are unavailable or impractical to use.1 In addition, the FDA requires transfusion services to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) that…
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Published by the American Red Cross, Plus Online features leading research and trending topics related to transfusion medicine. By promoting innovation within the field and leveraging the insight from our authors and thought leaders, we provide a resource that helps you continue your education and support best patient care.