Blood Transfusion Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Blood Transfusion, including details on blood donation, blood types, leukemia.

Platelet transfusion prophylaxis for patients with haematological malignancies: where to now?

Stanworth SJ, Hyde C, Brunskill S, Murphy MF

National Blood Service, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, UK. simon.stanworth@nbs.nhs.uk

National guidelines for platelet transfusion in many countries recommend that the general platelet transfusion trigger for prophylaxis is 10x10(9)/l. This annotation reviews the evidence for this threshold level and discusses other current unresolved issues relevant to platelet transfusion practice such as the optimal dose and the clinical benefit of a strategy for the prophylactic use of platelet transfusions when the platelet count falls below a given threshold.

Published 14 December 2005 in Br J Haematol, 131(5): 588-95.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Blood Transfusion Research Today. All Rights Reserved.