Application of reticulated platelets to transfusion management during autologous stem cell transplantation

Sergio Parco, Fulvia Vascotto

Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy

Background: The immature (or reticulated) platelet fraction (IPF) is rich in nucleic acids, especially RNA, and can be used as a predictive factor for platelet recovery in platelet immunomediated consumption or in postchemotherapy myelosuppression. Our aim was to determine if transfusions with IPF-rich solutions, during autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, reduce the occurrence of bleeding and hemorrhagic complications.
Patients and methods: Transfusions were administered to 40 children, affected with hematological pathologies, who underwent autologous peripheral hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation. There were two groups of 20 patients, one group treated with IPF-poor and the other with IPF-rich solutions. In the two groups, the conditioning regimen was the same for the same pathology (hematological pathologies: 14 acute lymphoblastic leukemia; twelve acute myelocytic leukemia; four non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; two Hodgkin's lymphoma; eight solid tumors). A new automated analyzer was used to quantify the IPF: the XE2100 (Sysmex, Kobe, Japan) blood cell counter with upgraded software.
Results: The 20 patients who received solutions with a high percentage of IPF (3%–9% of total number of infused platelets) required fewer transfusions than the 20 patients who received transfusions with a low percentage of IPF (0%–1% of total number of infused platelets): 83 versus 129 (mean of number of transfusions 4.15 versus 6.45) and a significant difference was found between the two groups by using the Mann–Whitney test (P < 0.001). The prophylactic transfusions decreased from three to two per week. There was only one case of massive hemorrhage.
Conclusion: The use of IPF solutions reduces the number of transfusions and bleedings after peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in pediatric patients.

Keywords: children, reticulated platelet fraction, transfusion management, hemorrhage