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Background: Half of the reported serious adverse events from transfusion are a consequence of medical error. A no-fault medical-event reporting system for transfusion medicine (MERS-TM) was developed to capture and analyze both near-miss and actual transfusion-related errors.Study Design and Methods: A prospective audit of transfusion-related errors was performed to determine the ability of MERS-TM to identify the frequency and patterns of errors.Results: Events and near-miss events (total, 819) were recorded for a period of 19 months (median, 51/month). No serious adverse patient outcome occurred, despite these events, with the transfusion of 17,465 units of RBCs. Sixty-one events (7.4%) were potentially life-threatening or could have led to permanent injury (severity Level 1). Of most concern were 3 samples collected from the wrong patient, 13 mislabeled samples, and 22 requests for blood for the wrong patient. Near-miss events were five times more frequent than actual transfusion errors, and 68 percent of errors were detected before blood was issued. Sixty-one percent of events originated from patient areas, 35 percent from the blood bank, and 4 percent from the blood supplier or other hospitals. Repeat collection was required for 1 of every 94 samples, and 1 in 346 requests for blood components was incorrect. Education of nurses and alterations to blood bank forms were not by themselves effective in reducing severe errors. An artifactual 50-percent reduction in the number of errors reported was noted during a 6-month period when two chief members of the event-reporting team were on temporary leave.Conclusion: The MERS-TM allowed the recognition and analysis of errors, determination of patterns of errors, and monitoring for changes in frequency after corrective action was implemented. Although no permanent injury resulted from the 819 events, innovative mechanisms must be designed to prevent these errors, instead of relying on faulty informal checks to capture errors after they occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Platelet transfusions are used to prevent or control bleeding in patients with thrombocytopenia or platelet dysfunction. The pretransfusion platelet count threshold has been studied extensively in multiple patient settings yielding high-quality evidence that has been summarized in several comprehensive evidence-based platelet guidelines., Study Design and Methods: A prospective 12-week audit of consecutive platelet transfusions using validated and evidence-based adjudication criteria was conducted. Patient demographic, laboratory, and transfusion details were collected with an electronic audit tool. Each order was adjudicated either electronically or independently by two transfusion medicine physicians. The aim was to determine platelet transfusion appropriateness and common scenarios with deviations from guidelines., Results: Fifty-seven (38%) of 150 hospitals provided data on 1903 platelet orders, representing 90% of platelet usage in the region during the time period. Overall, 702 of 1693 adult (41.5%) and 133 of 210 pediatric orders (63.3%) were deemed inappropriate. The most common inappropriate platelet order was for prophylaxis in the absence of bleeding or planned procedure in patients with hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia and a platelet count over 10 x 10 9 /L (53% of inappropriate orders in adults and 45% in pediatrics). Platelet transfusions ordered with either a preprinted transfusion order set (odds ratio [OR], 1.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.44-2.73) or technologist prospective screening (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.10-1.78) were more likely to be appropriate., Conclusion: There is a discrepancy between clinical practice and evidence-based platelet guidelines. Broad educational and system changes will be needed to align platelet transfusion practice with guideline recommendations., (© 2020 AABB.)

In the early 20th Century most of the development of blood transfusion occurred in the United States. Transfusion activity in Canada dates from 1910, with evidence of its systematic use in both Toronto and Montreal prior to the First World War. Its use was quickly and widely accepted and exploited, particularly under the pressure of support for the management of war injuries. Within a decade transfusion was being used in the practice of surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine and obstetrics, both in University associated hospitals and in community and domiciliary practice, and indications for use developed.

Canadian surgeons serving in the Canadian Army Medical Corps in the First World War were responsible for introducing transfusion in the management of war casualties to the British Army. They were uniquely placed to do so by a coincidence of circumstances. They were aware of developments occurring in the field of blood transfusion in the United States, which was at the time leading the research and development of transfusion as a therapeutic measure. The ties between Britain and Canada in 1914 were such that Canada entered the war immediately, and Canadians served closely with the British, volunteering promptly and in large numbers. Britain, by contrast with the United States, had little interest in or expertise with blood transfusion. Thus, Canadian surgeons went to war aware of the value of blood transfusion and with some who had actually learned how to use transfusion. They arrived to find no interest or expertise on the part of their British colleagues and had to work hard to convince them of the merits of blood transfusion in the management of hemorrhage. Their efforts were reinforced by the arrival in 1917 of American surgeons bringing their experience with transfusion. By war's end, blood transfusion was generally accepted as the treatment of choice for severe blood loss.

The risk of azathioprine-induced myelosuppression can be predicted by detecting patients with intermediate or low thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) activity. Population studies have shown that 89% of whites have high TPMT activity, 11% have intermediate TPMT activity, and 0.3% have low TPMT activity. Three specific mutations in the TPMT gene that cause decreased TPMT activity have recently been identified. Patients homozygous for the TPMT mutations have low TPMT activity, and patients heterozygous for TPMT mutations have intermediate TPMT activity. This has led to the development of a technique for TPMT genotype analysis that will identify patients at risk of azathioprine-induced myelosuppression. We report a case of a patient with bullous pemphigoid who experienced azathioprine-induced myelosuppression and who was later found to be homozygous for TPMT mutant alleles. Using the cost of treatment required for this patient and the estimated population prevalence of TPMT mutations, we examined the cost impact of screening for TPMT mutations in all patients being considered for azathioprine therapy. We calculated that screening is cost-neutral assuming patients homozygous for TPMT mutations experience myelosuppression, and that it is cost-beneficial assuming patients heterozygous for TPMT mutations also experience myelosuppression while receiving azathioprine. Screening patients for TPMT mutations will reduce the risk of azathioprine-induced myelosuppression, and our study suggests that it may also be a cost-attractive strategy.

Failures of Rh immune globulin (RhIG) prophylaxis occur when the dose is too small. We report a test using a gel technology (GT) method to replace the Kleihauer-Betke (K-B) test to assess fetomaternal hemorrhage (FMH) and assist in determining the minimum necessary dose of RhIG. Cord blood (O, D+) was mixed with adult blood (O D-) to mimic an FMH of 10 mL, 20 mL, 28 mL, and 40 mL. Test samples were incubated with anti-D at known concentrations and centrifuged. The supernatant was titrated against D+ and D- red cells using GT and an interpretation of the required RhIG dose was made. Results were compared with the K-B test. Results were easily discernible and interpretations leading to determination of recommended RhIG dosage were reproducible. Correlation to standard K-B testing was confirmed. Elapsed time for result availability by GT testing was 60 minutes, with a direct technical time requirement of 30 minutes. The GT system is easier, objective, and quantitative, and compares well to the standard K-B test. A single procedure will allow assessment of the extent of FMH in the great majority of cases. This technique works well in determining the appropriate dose of anti-D required to treat D- patients with D+ newborns. There are potential cost savings in decreased use of RhIG, less direct technical time required, and more rapid availability of results.

Use of red cells for transfusion in a tertiary care hospital has been studied over a 7-year period from 1990-1991 to 1996-1997. In this time, red-cell use has declined by 18% while new patients or admissions to programmes in oncology, trauma or cardiac bypass surgery have increased by 57%, 66% and 73%, respectively. This reduction in red-cell transfusion has been achieved by a combination of less patients (proportionately) receiving red cells and less red cells being transfused to individual recipients. When the trends are analysed for red-cell use in four elective surgical procedures there is a significant reduction in both the proportion of patients transfused and the mean number of units used per patient undergoing the procedure. Autologous presurgical blood deposit met about 45% of the blood requirement for those four procedures. A similar decreasing trend in units per patient and proportion of patients transfused red cells was seen for 'first-time' coronary artery bypass surgery. The question arises as to how far this trend may go before adverse effects of undertransfusion become apparent.

We have evaluated a semi-automated computer controlled dispensing device in conjunction with microtube technology for the performance of routine blood grouping and antibody screening procedures. A total of 787 specimens have been tested, 78 with unexpected antibodies previously identified by manual microtube methods. All were tested in duplicate in different order; there was complete agreement in blood group (ABO, RhD) determinations and the unexpected antibodies were found in the appropriate microtube location in all duplicate sets of results. We conclude that the device accurately and reproducibly dispenses cells, sera and reagents. The savings of technologists' time over traditional manual tube methods exceed 75%, excluding the time to perform elements common to both methods. The combination of automation and microtube technology offers the opportunity for substantial savings in technologist time with accuracy in reagent and specimen dispensing.

The application of a hospital-based presurgical autologous blood deposit programme to support of radical hysterectomy is described over 4 years (1991-95), during which 48 patients participated in the autologous blood programme, and 63 did not to do so. All but one of the autologous donors received autologous blood but only two received allogeneic blood. Forty-three of the autologous nondonors received no transfusion and 20 received allogeneic blood. These differences are highly significant. For the 48 autologous donors, 91% of the blood requested was collected, and of that 91% was used, for a "wastage' rate of 9%. The mean blood use was significantly greater in the autologous donors. Blood loss was not significantly different between the two groups. The data confirm the validity of the autologous blood order schedule of 2 units for radical hysterectomy.

Blood transfusion practices in a Canadian hospital have been compared, as a form of audit, to those reported in a multi-hospital study in Europe, to identify possible deviations from desirable practice. Blood product use for four surgical procedures: laparatomic cholecystectomy, total hip replacement, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy (AAA), was determined from this hospital's blood bank data base, and is compared to use for the same procedures in European hospitals. Blood product use here is less than in the majority of European centres, in respect of red cells for all four procedures and plasma for CABG and AAA. Platelet use in association with CABG and AAA is greater than the majority of European centres reporting data. As a consequence, platelet use here will be subjected to closer review.

The use of autologous blood in support of orthopaedic surgery has been assessed for 296 patients; 150 underwent hip arthroplasty, 69 underwent knee arthroplasty, 37 underwent spinal procedures and 40 underwent miscellaneous operations. Overall, 87% of patients received no allogeneic blood and 23% of the autologous blood collected was not used. For hip and knee arthroplasty, there appears to be an increased willingness to transfuse patients when autologous blood is available, and a decreased proportion of patients receiving more than 3 units for hip arthroplasty and 2 units for knee surgery, when compared with an audit of blood use when almost all blood used was allogeneic. Wastage of autologous blood in support of spinal surgery was 66%, prompting a review of ordering practices. Assessment of avoidance of allogeneic transfusion by the standard schedule of 3 units for hip arthroplasty and 2 units for knee arthroplasty appears justified by the calculation that collection of an additional unit in each case would avoid allogeneic transfusion in 11 (5%) more patients with the unnecessary collection of 208 units.

Objectives: To assess blood use in support of elective surgery during the introduction of a hospital-based presurgical autologous blood donor program and to identify changes in transfusion practice., Design: Case series over a 3-year period., Setting: A tertiary-care, university-affiliated hospital., Patients: All patients (887) who underwent, electively, one of four major surgical procedures between Apr. 1, 1990, and Mar. 31, 1993, during introduction of the hospital's autologous blood transfusion program. The criteria for donation were wide., Interventions: Hip and knee arthroplasty, radical hysterectomy and radical prostatectomy., Main Outcome Measures: Increase or decrease in the use of autologous or allogeneic blood for transfusion for the four surgical procedures over the study period., Results: For hip arthroplasty, the use of blood decreased significantly overall. The use of blood in support of radical hysterectomy and prostatectomy decreased but not significantly. In knee arthroplasty, blood use increased for reasons still under investigation. The contribution of autologous blood for the four procedures increased over the 3 years of the study from 17% to 55%, and constituted 3.8% of red cell and whole blood transfusions. Avoidance of allogeneic transfusion in the 3rd year of the study was 64% for patients who underwent hip arthroplasty, 71% for those who underwent radical prostatectomy and 77% for those who underwent knee arthroplasty and radical hysterectomy., Conclusions: Hospital-based autologous blood collection with wide eligibility criteria can contribute significantly to the availability of blood for elective surgery and can prevent allogeneic blood exposure in about 75% of patients who undergo, electively, one of four common procedures. Compared with other centres, there is room for further reduction in allogeneic blood exposure.

The transfusion records of 122 urological patients who had deposited one or more units of autologous blood were analysed. The 95 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy were arbitrarily divided into two cohorts (the first 47 patients enrolled, and the last 48 enrolled) to assess changes in use of blood. The avoidance of allogeneic transfusion in radical prostatectomy was 64% in the first cohort studied, and increased to 81% in the second. There was a significant decline in the mean absolute amounts of blood used from 4.47 to 2.54 units per patient from the first to second cohorts. Introduction of an autologous blood donor programme has been associated with a reduction in total blood use for radical prostatectomy, and a decrease in the number of patients exposed to allogeneic blood. The validity of an autologous blood-order schedule of 3 units for radical prostatectomy is supported.

The purpose of this study was to assess the success or otherwise of the introduction of an autologous blood programme in support of cardiac surgery in reducing patient exposure to allogeneic blood products and to assess the guideline of two units as the collection schedule for such patients. Sixty-six patients were enrolled in the programme provided they met defined clinical conditions and donated one, two or three units of blood at seven-day intervals, using isovolaemic conditions. One minor vasovagal adverse reaction was recorded. Of the 66 patients, 51 (77%) avoided allogeneic red cells and 42 (64%) received no allogeneic product. If each patient deposited two units, 51 (77%) would have required no allogeneic red cells; if three units were deposited, 57 (86%) patients would have required no allogeneic red cells, but 60 units would be surplus to requirements. Comparison of 52 patients for coronary artery bypass grafting who were autologous donors, with 130 patients undergoing the procedure before the availability of autologous blood, supports the suggestions that there is increased readiness to initiate transfusion of autologous blood and that exposure to allogeneic red cells is reduced. However, exposure to allogeneic products of all kinds is not reduced. It is concluded that the collection of two units of autologous blood is appropriate for most eligible patients and that this reduces exposure to allogeneic red cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Two years' experience with a hospital-based autologous blood donor programme is described. Of 511 patients enrolled, 86% underwent surgery without use of allogeneic blood, and 19% of collected units were not used. For six common procedures, a 'target' autologous blood schedule of 2 or 3 units (depending on the procedure) was set. If an extra unit for each of 407 patients had been collected (i.e. 3 or 4), an additional 20 patients would have been protected from exposure to allogeneic blood at a cost of 387 unnecessary collections. The difference between the mean haemoglobin (Hb) concentration at entry to the programme and the mean pre-operative Hb concentration was not clinically important and only 25 of 511 patients were deferred on account of anaemia after one or more donations. The autologous blood used represents 3.8% of the units of blood or packed red blood cells transfused during the 2 years of study. Adverse (vasovagal) reactions were infrequent (2.2%) in spite of liberal acceptance criteria.

A patient with myelodysplastic syndrome (refractory anemia) with marked and persistent reticulocytosis is presented. A referring diagnosis of hemolytic disease had been made. However, the 51Cr red cell survival was normal (T1/2 24 days). Reticulocyte morphology, red cell creatine content, and in vitro reticulocyte survival studies have suggested that the reticulocytosis arose as a consequence of delayed maturation of the reticulocytes. Two patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and delayed reticulocyte maturation have previously been described; in both patients, however, red cell survival was also shortened. Anemia with reticulocytosis, mimicking hemolytic disease, may be an unusual presentation of myelodysplastic syndrome.

We investigated the development of a positive direct antiglobulin test associated with the use of the nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug sulindac. The drug was shown to be the cause of the positive direct antiglobulin test using red cells treated in vitro with solutions of native sulindac and its two major metabolites. Serum from the patient contained sulindac-dependent red cell antibodies which could not be demonstrated when red cells having the Rh phenotype D-- were employed in the test procedure. An eluate prepared from the patients' red cells reacted against untreated red cells having common Rh phenotypes, but not against target red cells with the Rh phenotypes D-- or Rh null. The eluate showed stronger reactivity against the cells having common Rh phenotypes when they were treated with solutions of a metabolite of sulindac, but failed to react against treated red cells having the Rh phenotype D-- or Rh null. The results of our investigations point to an interaction between sulindac and/or its metabolites and Rh structures on the red cell membrane as the initial step in the production of drug dependent and autoantibodies leading to the positive direct antiglobulin test.

We report a patient in whom a cell line of 47,XY,+X,t(1;14)(q21;q32) constitution was found in a lymph node excised from the neck. Histologic examination and immunophenotyping both in situ and by flow cytometry failed to confirm a diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma, but Southern analysis indicated the presence of B-cell clonal expansion. These observations support the concept that primary chromosomal abnormalities occur in clonal expansions in the very earliest stages of tumorigenesis.

The risks and costs associated with the transfusion of blood and its components have led to increasing demands for evidence of the appropriate use of blood components. We have examined the use of packed red blood cells (PRBC) in association with seven common, surgical procedures performed in 1987 and 1988 to establish patterns of use. The information has formed the basis for surgical blood order schedules and autologous donation targets for these procedures. It has also been used to determine appropriate audit 'triggers' and the results of an audit using these 'triggers' are reported.

A 51-year-old woman with no history of prior chemotherapy or radiation therapy was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia (ET) according to the diagnostic criteria established by the Polycythemia Vera Study Group (PVSG). Cytogenetic analysis of bone marrow metaphases revealed both normal female karyotype and a single clonal abnormality, 46,XX,del(5)(q22q35). While chromosomal abnormalities have been reported in ET, their incidence is very low, and no specific abnormality has been found. Many of the reported cases of ET with chromosomal aberrations, including 5q-, do not meet the diagnostic criteria proposed by the PVSG, and may represent one of the other myeloproliferative disorders or a myelodysplastic syndrome. Furthermore, it is important to distinguish the 5q- syndrome, which may present with thrombocytosis and megakaryocytic hyperplasia, from ET. Our patient appears to be the first example of untreated ET clearly meeting the PVSG criteria in which 5q- was the only clonal abnormality seen at diagnosis.

We analyzed a population of adults with acute non lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) treated from 1972-1989 to identify prognostic factors and the influence of therapy over time. To 179 patients treated at Sunnybrook Medical Centre (SMC) were added 114 patients from published patient series from Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) all treated during that period. All PMH and 98 SMC patients received one of three remission induction protocols: CAV (cyclophosphamide, cytosine arabinoside [ara-C], vincristine) 1973-1976 (n = 46); ACT (Adriamycin, ara-C +/- 6-thioguanine) 1976-1983 (n = 83); high dose ara-C and corticosteroids 1983-1987 (n = 83). The remainder either received supportive therapy only or minimally toxic therapy (e.g., low dose ara-C, 6-mercaptopurine) due to presenting complications such as advanced age, severe concurrent medical condition, or most recently at SMC only, mitoxanthrone and ara-C, and were excluded from analysis. Responses obtained at the two institutions were identical, no survival advantage of any particular protocol was seen. Overall median survival was 8.5 months for patients treated on protocol and 20 months for those entering complete remission. Patients treated with supportive or minimally toxic therapy (n = 76) had a median survival of less than two months. In multivariate analysis, the only important factors for survival were complete response to initial therapy; complete response to second induction therapy following either first relapse (n = 89) or lack of complete response to first therapy (n = 15); and normal cytogenetic analysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A 64-year-old woman presented with a platelet count of 3,225 x 10(9)/L. Bone marrow morphology showed massive megakaryocytic hyperplasia; cytogenetic studies showed the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph). The presence of a rearrangement involving the major breakpoint cluster region (mbcr) on chromosome 22 was confirmed by Southern blotting techniques. A diagnosis of Ph positive essential thrombocythemia (ET) was made. Such cases constitute less than 5% of patients with ET and it has been proposed that they be considered examples of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) because of a shared propensity to progress to blast crisis. An argument is presented for retaining Ph positive ET as an entity separate from Ph negative ET and Ph positive CML.

We report a case of acute monocytic leukemia (FAB-5a) with a very aggressive clinical course and multiple chromosomal abnormalities. There were several sublines, each with trisomy 8 and a translocation involving 3q13.3 as a common breakpoint region. This region is an uncommon site of chromosomal breakage in malignancies and has not hitherto been reported as a breakpoint site in "jumping" translocations.