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BACKGROUND:Erycard 2.0 is a “point-of-care” device that is primarily being used for patient blood grouping before transfusion.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Erycard 2.0 was compared with conventional slide technology for accuracy and time taken for ABO and Rh forward grouping result with column agglutination technology (CAT) being the gold standard. Erycard 2.0 as a device was also evaluated for its stability under different storage conditions and stability of result till 48 h. In addition, grouping of hemolyzed samples was also tested with Erycard 2.0. Ease of use of Erycard 2.0 was evaluated with a survey among paramedical staff.RESULTS:Erycard 2.0 demonstrated 100% concordance with CAT as compared with slide technique (98.9%). Mean time taken per test by Erycard 2.0 and slide technique was 5.13 min and 1.7 min, respectively. After pretesting storage under different temperature and humidity conditions, Erycard 2.0 did not show any deviation from the result. The result did not change even after 48 h of testing and storage under room temperature. 100% concordance was recorded between pre- and post-hemolyzed blood grouping. Ease of use survey revealed that Erycard 2.0 was more acceptable to paramedical staff for its simplicity, objectivity, and performance than conventional slide technique.CONCLUSION:Erycard 2.0 can be used as “point-of-care” device for blood donor screening for ABO and Rh blood group and can possibly replace conventional slide technique.

Objective: Endometriosis is often considered as an enigma due to its varied clinical presentation and challenges in diagnosis. The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of laparoscopy in diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis associated with infertility.Materials and Methods: Infertile females diagnosed to have endometriosis during or before undergoing laparoscopic surgery from August 2018 to February 2020 were followed up for spontaneous conception for 6 months following laparoscopy. Revised American Fertility Society (r-AFS) scoring system was used to score endometriosis and stage the disease (stage I-IV). Surgical interventions were done on individual cases basis following ESHRE guidelines.Results: Fifty infertile females diagnosed with endometriosis during or before laparoscopy were recruited for the study. Mean age of patients was 28.58 (±4.21) years. Thirty-four (68%) patients had primary infertility and 16 (32%) has secondary infertility. Mean duration infertility was 3.33 (±1.43). Only 37 patients (74%) had evidence of endometriosis in pre-operative ultrasonography. During the follow up period of first 6 months after surgery 34 (68%) patients conceived spontaneously. Lower mean endometriosis score (p=0.00) and early stage of endometriosis (p=0.00) were associated with higher chances of conception. But, female age, duration and type infertility, USG findings, and type of surgical interventions did not affect pregnancy rate.Conclusion: Laparoscopy helps in diagnosis of endometriosis. Laparoscopic therapeutic interventions for endometriosis increase the probability of spontaneous conception in infertile females. Lower surgical score and early stages of endometriosis are associated with higher chance of conception.

Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is the third most significant risk factor for acute pancreatitis after gallstones and alcohol. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been considered a possible treatment for HTG-induced pancreatitis, especially in severe and refractory cases. Here, we report one such clinical experience with a patient of severe HTG-induced pancreatitis. He was treated with TPE along with intravenous insulin, statins, and fibrates. TPE resulted in immediate relief of symptoms as well as a marked improvement in laboratory values, with 74.5% reduction in triglycerides after a single session. TPE can be successfully utilized as an adjunct in HTG-induced pancreatitis.

61-year old male patient was admitted to the hospital with clinical picture of hemolytic anemia with hemoglobinuria. Patient was suspected to have Infectious Mononucleosis (IM) with Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA). DAT was positive with anti-C3d specificity. Donath Landsteiner (DL) test was positive; confirming Paroxysmal Cold Hemoglobinuria (PCH). The final diagnosis was IM with PCH. Patient was managed conservatively and discharged after seven days. DL test specifically detects a biphasic autoantibody (IgG type) that binds to RBCs at cold temperatures, and fixes complement on the RBC membrane. However RBCs are only lysed upon warming to 37C when complement cascade proceeds to completion.