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Background: Prehospital blood transfusions are increasing as a treatment for bleeding trauma patients at risk for exsanguination. Triggers for starting transfusion in the field are less studied. We analyzed the factors affecting the decision of physicians to start prehospital blood product transfusion (PHBT) in blunt adult trauma patients. Study Design and Methods: Data of all adult blunt trauma patients from the Helsinki Trauma Registry between March 2016 and July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate analysis for the identification of predictive factors and multivariate regression analysis for their importance as predictive factors for the initiation of PHBT were applied. Results: There were 1652 patients registered in the database. A total of 556 of them were treated by a physician‐level prehospital emergency care unit, of which by transfusion‐capable unit in 394 patients. PHBT (red blood cells and/or plasma) was started in 19.8% of the patients. We identified three statistically highly important clinical triggers for starting PHBT: high crystalloid volume need, shock index ≥0.9, and need for prehospital pleural decompression. Discussion: PHBT in blunt adult trauma patients is initiated in ~20% of the patients in Southern Finland. High crystalloid volume need, shock index ≥0.9 and prehospital pleural decompression are associated with the initiation of PHBT, probably reflecting patients at high risk for bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Anemia and low-grade inflammation are reported to be associated with impaired long-term graft outcome in renal transplant (RTx) recipients. In this study, hemoglobin (Hb) and inflammation marker levels were correlated with measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in 128 pediatric RTx recipients over a median follow-up period of 10 years. Methods Serum levels of erythropoietin (EPO), hepcidin-25, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) (hsCRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and GFR was analyzed by .sup.51Cr-EDTA clearance. Results The median levels of Hb (115 g/L), hsCRP (0.4 mg/L) and IL-6 (1.4 pg/mL) and the median erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR; 19 mm/h) remained stable after the first post-operative year. However, approximately half of the patients had a normocytic, normochromic anemia, and one-third had elevated levels of hsCRP (>1 mg/L) and ESR (>25 mm/h), indicating continuous low-grade inflammation. Low Hb levels preceded increased fibrosis in protocol biopsies taken at 1.5 and 3 years after transplantation and preceded decreased GFR by several years. Hb levels showed an inverse correlation with EPO levels (r = -0.206, p = 0.038) and ESR (r = -0.369, p < 0.001), but not with hepcidin-25, hsCRP or IL-6 levels. The levels of the major inflammatory markers IL-6 and hsCRP did not show a significant correlation with GFR at either the early maintenance phase or later. In the multivariable analysis, low Hb levels performed better than any other marker with respect to predicting concomitant and subsequent GFR. Conclusions Anemia, but not elevated inflammatory indices, was associated with poor concomitant and subsequent graft function during a 10-year follow-up in pediatric RTx patients., Author(s): Jenni Miettinen[sup.1] , Juuso Tainio[sup.1] , Timo Jahnukainen[sup.1] , Mikko Pakarinen[sup.1] , Jouni Lauronen[sup.2] , Hannu Jalanko[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, [...]

There is a need for a systematic approach to evaluate patients for potential face transplantation (FT). Ten patients with severe facial defects treated between 1995 and 2017 formed the study group. Data was collected from patient charts and clinical, radiological and laboratory examinations. Facial deficiencies were subdivided into four different categories: anatomical region (10 facial subunits), facial function, aesthetic defect (range 0–9-worst), and impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (15D questionnaire, range 0–1). Immunological status and possible contraindications were also evaluated. Defect aetiology consisted of burns (4), ballistic injury (3), blunt injury (1), blast injury (1), and neurofibromatosis type I (1). All patients had central facial deficiencies and 6 patients had 8 to 10 injured facial subunits. All patients had at least partial loss of facial function. The mean aesthetic disfigurement score was 6.4. The median lowering of 15D score was −0.107. None were significantly sensitized although four patients had relative contraindications and one patient had an absolute contraindication for FT. Three patients with a severe overall facial deficiency were considered as potential FT candidates. We herein propose a comprehensive and systematic tool to evaluate potential candidates for FT. This approach includes assessment of 4 key categories: anatomical regions affected, facial function, aesthetics, and HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Platelet refractoriness due to HLA immunization represents a problem in transfusion management of thrombocytopenic hematology patients. Refractory patients can be managed by HLA-selected platelet transfusions, but the optimal matching strategy is debated and how the degree of HLA mismatch influences transfusion outcome is poorly studied.Study Design and Methods: We studied 32 hematology patients who received 142 matched platelet units between 2007 and 2016. Four matching strategies were compared: 1) genomic HLA typing at the two digit level, performed using polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing; 2) serologic "eplet score" calculated using HLAMatchmaker; 3) cross-matching using lymphocyte cytotoxicity; and 4) matching based on donor-specific antibody (DSA) specificity, determined using Luminex. A 1-hour corrected count increment (CCI) of more than 7.5 × 109 /L was considered a successful response.Results: Selection of platelets with either a complete HLA match or an acceptable HLA mismatch based on genomic typing and DSA information, each predicted 86% successful transfusion responses. For HLA-mismatched transfusions, the eplet score correlated with CCI and the fraction of successful transfusions, but less well compared to DSA matching. Cytotoxic crossmatching was least predictive. For transfusions across one to four DSAs, the antibody reaction strength correlated with the 1-hour CCI, but many transfusions were successful despite the presence of DSA.Conclusion: A complete HLA-A and -B match or an acceptable mismatch based on DSA should guide identification of donors. Still, transfusions across DSAs are often successful, emphasizing that the presence of DSA is necessary but not sufficient for platelet clearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: BKPyV is an important cause of premature graft failure after KT. Most clinical studies describe BKPyV infection in adult KT patients. We studied the prevalence of post‐transplant BKPyV viremia, serology, and graft function in pediatric KT recipients. Methods: Forty‐six pediatric patients transplanted between 2009 and 2014 were followed up for BKPyV DNAemia by plasma PCR for median 2.3 (range: 1‐6) years. BKPyV‐specific antibodies were retrospectively analyzed using virus‐like particle ELISA. GFR was measured annually by 51Cr‐EDTA clearance, and serum samples were screened for DSAs by Luminex assay. Results: BKPyV viremia was demonstrated in nine patients at a median of 6 months post‐KT. Early BKPyV viremia at 3 months post‐KT associated with decreased concomitant GFR and tendency for decreased subsequent graft function. Three of nine patients with BKPyV viremia developed DSA, all against class II antigens. PyVAN developed to four patients and responded to judicious reduction in IS. One graft was lost later due to ABMR. BKPyV‐IgG was found in 18 of 31 patients (58%) tested at transplantation, and seven recipients seroconverted after transplantation with a significant increase in IgG levels with IgM. Finally, BKPyV‐IgG was detectable in 31 of 40 patients (78%) at the end of the study. Conclusions: Post‐transplant BKPyV viremia in pediatric KT patients may alter graft function and contribute to progression of chronic allograft injury. BKPyV‐IgG predicts past exposure. Low or absent BKPyV‐specific antibody levels were seen pretransplant in 42% of tested patients, but were not predictive of prolonged replication or poor outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]