Ethical Questions about Platelet Transfusions at the End of Life

Abstract

This case of platelet transfusion in palliative care illustrates a common dilemma in transfusion medicine: approval of the use of a scarce, yet potentially life-saving, resource. As in this case, these decisions often involve seriously ill patients with acute needs and evolving goals of care. The use of resources to treat the patient at hand must be balanced against maintaining adequate resources to treat future patients. In this setting, the ethical principles of beneficence and social justice are in conflict. CaseDr. J, a second-year resident on the palliative care service, has become quite close to his patient, Emma, a 5-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Two years ago, Emma completed successful chemotherapy and achieved remission, but a recent bone marrow biopsy showed lymphoblastic infiltration. She was started on a rescue therapy program with little response and underwent a bone marrow transplant. During this relapse, she has been hospitalized on multiple occasions for infections and bleeding, which required blood and platelet transfusions, and is now receiving palliative care for tumor lysis syndrome. It is Emma's medical team's opinion that there is no more that can be done to cure her leukemia, which prompted her transfer to the palliative care service. Shortly after transfer, Emma developed bright red blood per rectum, and Dr. J requested human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched platelet transfusion for her to help stop the bleeding.Dr. S, a third-year pathology resident, received Dr. J's request for HLA-matched platelets. Typically, pathologists oversee platelet distribution, since they are the physicians responsible for administering transfusion services in a hospital-maintaining an adequate blood supply, monitoring blood donor and patient-recipient safety, ensuring appropriate blood utilization, and directing the preparation and safe use of blood components according to a hospital's platelet distribution protocol. Since Dr. S oversees a busy transfusion service with many sick patients requiring blood and platelets, one of her duties is to carefully assess each request for these limited resources. She contacts Dr. J and asks for more information about his request. Dr. S explains that HLA-matched

Survey to Assess Knowledge and Reported Practices Regarding Blood Transfusion Among Cancer Physicians in Uganda

“…Some argue that use of scarce resources such as blood must be balanced against maintaining adequate resources to treat future patients, thus putting the ethical principles of beneficence and social justice in conflict. 18,19 Use of blood transfusion at the end of life may have an effect on survival of patients with cancer. A review of red blood cell transfusions in a palliative care unit in Adelaide, Australia, found that among patients, blood transfusions led to subjective improvement in a majority of recipients, although this correlated poorly with objective scale-based measures.…”