Transfusion
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During storage detrimental biochemical and biomechanical changes occur within a red blood cell (RBC). RBC microparticles (RMPs) produced during storage have been identified as biomarkers of RBC quality, being potentially immunogenic and inhibitory to nitric oxide regulation. ⋯ Significant changes to the RBC membrane occur during storage. The length of storage will influence RMP generation, osmotic fragility, hemolysis, and changes in deformability. These changes in RBC in vitro quality may contribute to transfusion reactions and negative posttransfusion outcomes.
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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA is frequently detected in plasma of newly seropositive donors. Selection of leukoreduced blood products from donors with remote CMV infection could avoid transfusion-transmitted CMV infections (TT-CMV) due to primarily infected donors. However, there are no data about the prevalence of reactivations in long-term seropositive donors compared to the incidence of window period donations in seronegative donors. Therefore, the optimal transfusion strategy for at-risk patients is unclear. ⋯ Prevalences of window period donations among seronegative donors and reactivations among long-term seropositive donors, as well as the CMV DNA concentration in whole blood and plasma samples from these donors, are comparable. Therefore, blood products from both groups could be used for patients at risk for TT-CMV, while those of newly seropositive donors seem to bear an increased risk.
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Anemia is one of the most common complications of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and has been shown to be associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The impact of anemia on hospital readmission after CABG, a potential measure of delayed complications, has not been addressed. ⋯ The predischarge Hb concentration after CABG was not associated with 30-day readmissions.
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The increasing frequency of transfusion-transmitted babesiosis represents a concern for the safety of the US blood supply. The agent responsible for the disease, the intraerythrocytic parasite Babesia microti, is naturally transmitted to humans by a tick bite and is endemic in areas of the Northeast and Upper Midwest United States. In this study, we explored B. microti seroprevalence in blood donors from different areas of Minnesota (MN). ⋯ This study provides new data about B. microti seroprevalence in MN blood donors. Possibly because the targeted collection areas were mostly expected to be endemic for the parasite, the observed seroprevalence levels were higher than expected, although the geographic distribution of positive donors did not completely overlap with the distribution of reported clinical cases in MN.