title: Post-transfusion purpura: a rare and life-threatening aetiology of thrombocytopenia.
abstract: We present a middle-aged man with history of lung adenocarcinoma, who was admitted with massive haemoptysis secondary to severe thrombocytopenia. Two weeks prior he was started on enoxaparin for a newly diagnosed pulmonary embolus and at that time required blood transfusions for anaemia. Our initial diagnosis was heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. His platelet count, however, did not improve despite receiving argatroban and platelet transfusions. Hence, we suspected post-transfusion purpura (PTP) and started him on intravenous immunoglobulin which brought his platelet count to normal levels. The serotonin-release assay was negative and platelet-antibody test was positive confirming PTP as our diagnosis. The patient eventually was transferred to hospice care because of the advanced stage lung cancer and died of respiratory failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. parikshit.padhi@gmail.com
authors.forename: Parikshit
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Padhi
authors.forename: Gulam Sadiq
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Parihar
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stepp
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011696:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000209:etiology*; D065227:Transfusion Reaction