title: Blood bank issues associated with red cell exchanges in sickle cell disease.
abstract: Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients are prone to develop complications that include stroke, acute chest syndrome, and other crises. Some of these complications require chronic transfusion therapy or red cell exchange (RCE), either for therapeutic or prophylactic reasons. Due to a discrepancy of red cell antigens between African Americans and Caucasians (majority blood donors), the incidence of alloantibody formation is very high, which makes it difficult to find compatible red cell units, especially for urgent RCE. Some of the above conditions require immediate oxygen delivery to the tissues. Thus, SCD patients undergoing RCE should receive red blood cells with special attributes that include matching for Rh and Kell blood group antigens; RBCs should be fresh in order to provide (1) immediate oxygen delivery and (2) longer surviving cells to reduce the interval between RCE. Also, these units should be pre-storage leukoreduced to prevent febrile non-hemolytic reactions and screened for sickle cell traits to avoid transfusing red cells containing HbS. This requires a concerted effort between the apheresis unit, the local blood bank, and the central blood supplier.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, Texas 75390, USA. Ravi.Sarode@UTSouthwestern.edu
authors.forename: Ravindra
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sarode
authors.forename: Fevzi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Altuntas
mesh_terms: D019794:2,3-Diphosphoglycerate / Q000097:blood; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000097:blood; D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D001771:Blood Banks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D001782:Blood Donors; D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D001787:Blood Group Incompatibility / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control; D001788:Blood Grouping and Crossmatching; D001793:Blood Preservation; D002470:Cell Survival; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability; D017707:Erythrocyte Transfusion / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006400:Hematocrit; D006451:Hemoglobin, Sickle / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007519:Isoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D047589:Leukocyte Reduction Procedures; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D012996:Solutions; D013997:Time Factors; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D006451:Hemoglobin, Sickle; D007519:Isoantigens; D012996:Solutions; D019794:2,3-Diphosphoglycerate; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D010100:Oxygen