Transfus Apher Sci
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Case Reports
Prolonged viral shedding in a lymphoma patient with COVID-19 infection receiving convalescent plasma.
Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first identified in Wuhan, China; and spread all over the world. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2 usually returns to negative in 20 days post-infection, but prolonged positivity has been reported up to 63 days. ⋯ The prolonged RT-PCR positivity, despite convalescent plasma infusion, may suggest that the given antibodies may be ineffective in terms of viral clearance. In patients with hematological malignancies or immunosuppression, such as ASCT, may lead to prolonged viral shedding, and strict isolation is warranted for long-term SARS-CoV-2 infection control.
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The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been declared a pandemic by the world health organization and to limit the spread of the disease, many countries in the world, including India, had enforced a lockdown. Despite no restriction over the platelet donation activities, plateletpheresis donors became apprehensive regarding the possible risk of spread of the COVID-19 during the platelet donation and in the hospital premises. Many of them started hesitating for platelet donations. ⋯ The donor organizations and plateletpheresis donors were informed about the steps to be taken by the blood center during the donation and necessary steps for the prevention of the possible spread of COVID-19. With the help of these measures, the confidence of the individual platelet donors and the donor organizations was restored in the blood center and regular plateletpheresis was continued. These measures may also be useful to other blood centers in the COVID-19 pandemic and this experience may be useful if a similar pandemic lockdown happens in the future.
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Maintaining blood supply is essential since blood transfusions are lifesaving in many conditions. The 2003 infectious outbreak of SARS-CoV had a negative impact on blood supply. This study aimed to measure donor attendance and blood demand in order to help find efficient ways of managing blood supply and demand during the COVID-19 pandemic and similar public emergencies in the future. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on donor attendance and blood supply and adversely affected blood transfusion services. Guidelines that prioritize blood transfusion should prepare at the beginning of emergencies similar to this pandemic. Close monitoring of blood needs and blood supply and appropriate response is essential for avoiding sudden blood shortage. An evidence-based emergency blood management plan and flexible regulatory policy should be ready to deal with any disaster and to respond quickly in the case of blood shortage.
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Therapeutic plasma exchange in the pediatric intensive care unit: A single-center 5-Year experience.
The objective of this study is to characterize clinical indications, safety and outcome with the use of TPE in critically ill children. All TPE procedures performed in a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) during a 5-year period were retrospectively evaluated. A total of 75 patients underwent 249 sessions of TPE. ⋯ Finally, we also found significantly higher organ failure rate, mechanical ventilation requirement, and PRISM III score at PICU admission in non-survivors. Our experience indicates that TPE can be performed relatively safely in critically ill children with appropriate treatment indications. Survival rate may vary depending on the underlying disease; however, it must be noted that survival rate is very high in children requiring TPE only.