The frequency of selective IgA deficiency was determined in a healthy population of 6,240 blood donors. Screening for IgA deficiency was performed by double-diffusion analysis in agarose gel. Confirmation testing was performed with the more sensitive passive hemagglutination inhibition assay. Prevalence of IgA deficiency, characterized by a serum level of below 50 mg/L, was 0.30% (1 in 328), which is the highest prevalence of selective IgA deficiency reported in a healthy population. Antibodies to IgA were detected in sera of 36.8% of the blood donors with selective IgA deficiency, which also is the highest prevalence of anti-IgA antibodies reported in any previous study. The literature on IgA deficiency in healthy populations is reviewed. Current concepts in treatment of IgA-deficient patients requiring blood products are described.
Cranial and spinal trauma resulted in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in a 78-year-old man, causing widespread bleeding and incoagulable blood. Traumatized brain tissue was found in the lumina of dural venous sinuses. The mechanisms of DIC are reviewed. It is suggested that intravascular release of potent cerebral thromboplastin contributed to the severity of DIC in this patient, by causing activation of the extrinsic clotting system. Intrasinus brain tissue in cases of human trauma has not previously been reported.
The transfusion service of a regional referral medical center issues a monthly blood and component wastage report to the Hospital Transfusion Committee. The report includes the amount and type of units wasted, who is responsible, and the cost incurred by the wastage. The individuals responsible for wastage include physicians, nurses, and laboratory personnel. Physicians are responsible for most wastage, principally by failing to administer thawed or pooled blood products. The Hospital Transfusion Committee initiated a wastage-reduction program that included a letter to physicians indicating the patient's name and the type of blood and/or components that the addressed physicians was responsible for wasting. Simple corrective actions results in a 73 percent reduction in our blood and component wastage. Monitoring of blood and component wastage should be routine quality assurance function of the Hospital Transfusion Committee.
Charts kom a series of 679 hospital patients with positive direct antiglobulin tests (DATs) were reviewed. Sixty-three adult patients who demonstrated positive DATs due to IgG only but with nonreactive eluates were selected for further retrospective evaluation. Those patients were noted to fall into four distinct categories: autoimmune diseases including SLE, renal diseases, multiple myeloma, and miscellaneous diseases. In 16 patients for whom serum IgG levels were available, a significant correlation existed between the strength of the DAT reaction and the serum IgG concentration. Several mechanisms that could be responsible for these findings are discussed. Immunohematology 1992; 8:9-12.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.