Plasma haptoglobin depletion is a reliable marker for the instant diagnosis of accelerated red cell destruction irrespective of the site of haemolysis or the presence of inflammation. The capacity of this parameter to predict haemolysis appears to be limited in patients with liver cirrhosis and decreased haptoglobin production only.

The study shows that in practice, this high-throughput genotyping assay is feasible, fast and provides reliable results. Compared to serological testing, this molecular approach is also very cost-efficient.

Blood components prepared from inline-filtered whole blood meet the standards for WBC-reduced RBCs and FFP. The protein profile of FFP-F is not altered, and markers for the activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis show no increase.

BackgroundMean platelet volume (MPV) and plateletcrit (PCT) are indices used in evaluating immune‐mediated thrombocytopenia (IMT) in humans and in dogs with congenital macrothrombocytopenia. These indices may provide clinically valuable information in acquired thrombocytopenia.Hypothesis/ObjectivesDogs with presumed primary IMT will have increased MPV, and therefore platelet mass (PCT) will increase faster than platelet count (PLT) during recovery.AnimalsForty‐nine dogs with automated PLT < 30,000/μL because of presumed primary IMT and hematocrit (HCT), PCT, MPV, and platelet distribution width determined from the same complete blood count (CBC), and 46 healthy controls.MethodsCase‐control retrospective study; PLT, PCT, MPV, and platelet distribution width (PDW) were recorded from CBCs from 49 dogs, with 45 having data collected on the day of presentation. Fifteen were confirmed to have attained a PLT ≥ 75,000/μL on at least 1 CBC within 15 days after admission. The PCT equivalent to a PLT of 75,000/μL (assuming an average MPV) was calculated for comparison with PLT in terms of time to achieve a threshold of platelet mass by the 2 measures.ResultsMean platelet volume was higher in IMT dogs (17.3 fl) than the reference population (10.5 fl) (P < .0001). The PDW was not significantly different among the groups. The median time for PCT to reach threshold in confirmed responders was faster (3 days) compared with PLT (4 days).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceImmune‐mediated thrombocytopenia is characterized by increased MPV. Time to achieve a threshold PCT tended to be shorter than PLT, suggesting that PCT may be a useful platelet parameter for monitoring dogs with IMT.

Blood group O has been associated with an increased bleeding tendency due to lower von Willebrand factor (VWF) and factor VIII (FVIII) levels. We explored whether blood group O is independently associated with bleeding severity in patients with mild-to-moderate bleeding of unknown cause (BUC) in the Vienna Bleeding Biobank cohort. Bleeding severity was recorded with the Vicenza bleeding score (BS). Blood group O was overrepresented in 422 patients with BUC compared with its presence in 23 145 healthy blood donors (47.2% vs 37.6%; odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-1.79). The BS and the number of bleeding symptoms were significantly higher in patients with blood group O than in patients with non-O after adjustment for VWF and FVIII levels and sex (least-square [LS] means of BSs: 6.2; 95% CI, 5.8-6.6 vs 5.3; 4.9-5.7; and of number of symptoms: LS, 3.5; 95% CI, 3.2-3.7 vs 3.0; 2.8-3.2, respectively). Oral mucosal bleeding was more frequent in those with blood group O than in those with other blood types (group non-O; 26.1% vs 14.3%), independent of sex and VWF and FVIII levels, whereas other bleeding symptoms did not differ. Patients with blood group O had increased clot density in comparison with those with blood group non-O, as determined by rotational thromboelastometry and turbidimetric measurement of plasma clot formation. There were no differences in thrombin generation, clot lysis, or platelet function. Our data indicate that blood group O is a risk factor for increased bleeding and bleeding severity in patients with BUC, independent of VWF and FVIII levels.