Category: Safety
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Does Pathogen Reduction Impair Platelet Function In Actively Bleeding Patients?
The initial FDA approval for pathogen-reduced (PR) platelets was supported by data from the SPRINT trial1,2 showing PR platelets to be noninferior to control platelets with respect to the incidence of bleeding after transfusion to thrombocytopenic patients; only about 16% of whom had clinically significant bleeding on study entry. Are PR platelets as effective as…
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Multi-institution study of group O blood usage in the pediatric population between 2015 and 2019
Introduction Information and guidance for transfusion of pediatric and neonatal patients remained unchanged between the 2019 and 2025 versions of the AABB Association Bulletin “Recommendations on the Use of Group O Red Blood Cells.”1,2 The bulletin acknowledged the ease of using group O red blood cells (RBCs) for neonates since one RBC unit could provide…
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Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carriers – Are We There Yet?
Jahr and colleagues1 recently summarized the history of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) to the present day, comparing biochemical and biophysical properties, safety concerns, and therapeutic potential as alternatives to packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions. HBOCs have been investigated for nearly a century as synthetic oxygen carriers in situations including the unavailability of rare antigen-negative…
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Biotin-labeled red cell survival in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease who form antibodies of uncertain clinical significance
Patients of all ages with sickle cell disease (SCD) who are frequently transfused develop more auto- and alloantibodies against RBC antigens compared to the general population of transfused patients.[1] [2] In addition, chronically transfused children, compared to those who are infrequently transfused, are over three times more likely to develop warm autoantibodies (WAA),[3] which are…
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The American Red Cross at the 2024 AABB Annual Meeting
The recent Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) in Houston, Texas, was the occasion for the presentation of reviews and new developments in blood banking, transfusion medicine, and biological therapies. The American Red Cross was proud to participate in this event through posters and live presentations. I detail…
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Are ABO-Identical Platelet Transfusions Better?
Platelets express numerous surface antigens including A, B, and H; and the plasma in which they are suspended contain the corresponding donor isohemagglutinins (antibodies to A or B antigen). Transfusion of incompatible platelets may result in hemolysis. However, because the risk is low, the practice of providing ABO-nonidentical (ABON) or ABO-identical (ABOI) platelets to patients…
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Cold-Stored Platelets
Cold-stored platelets (CSP) are a recent hot topic. Prior to the 1960s, refrigerated whole blood contained red cells, plasma, white cells and (cold-stored) platelets transfused as one product to bleeding patients. With broad advancement in medical treatments and manufacturing technology, transfusion therapy became component-based whereby a single donation could yield specific blood products for multiple…
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The Role of Histocompatibility Laboratory Services at the American Red Cross in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Clara Barton established the American Red Cross in 1881 with the primary objective of providing emergency assistance and disaster relief to people in the United States. The organization later grew into one of the largest charitable and nonprofit organizations, expanding its reach into blood product supply, cellular therapies, and tissue services. Leaders had the foresight…
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Motivating Donors: Lessons from Collecting COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma
Early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many blood centers began collecting and distributing COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP). Researchers from the American Red Cross conducted a survey of CCP donors during the first five months of the CCP collection period (April 27-September 15, 2020) to gather information about their donation experience and motivations. Read about their findings…
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The Home Fire Campaign: Prevention is the Best Medicine
October 14, 2022. North Las Vegas, Nevada. Cherise Coleman and her family escaped a fire unharmed at their North Las Vegas home in September 2022, thanks to free smoke alarms installed a few years earlier by American Red Cross volunteers, including Eva Stowers (left). Few disasters cause as much harm to people and their homes…