An alloimmunized, thrombocytopenic patient successfully transfused with acid‐treated, random‐donor platelets

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Alloimmunized, thrombocytopenic patients, refractory to random‐donor platelet transfusion, often respond to HLA‐identical single‐donor platelets. HLA‐compatible platelets are expensive, take time to prepare, and donors are sometimes not to be found.We have used random‐donor platelets and ‘peeled’ the HLA‐antigen off the platelets, using a modified laboratory method (incubation of platelets with citric acid solution at 0°C). Platelet recovery in two healthy subjects was 72·0% for acid‐treated platelets, and 73·5% for untreated control platelets, using 111In‐labelled autologous platelets. Survival time (multiple hit) was 6·25 and 7·95 d, respectively. Random‐donor platelets that were strongly positive in the crossmatch with serum from a patient became negative after treatment with the acid solution. Furthermore, transfusion of these platelets gave a post‐transfusion, platelet‐count increment comparable with transfusion of HLA‐compatible single‐donor platelets.