Neil Blumberg: Group O Red Cells and Group AB Plasma Are Not Truly “Universal Donors”
Neil Blumberg, Professor, Director of Transfusion Medicine/Blood Bank at University of Rochester Medical Center, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Our group’s latest research on the importance of transfusing ABO identical blood components, a finding still largely rejected by mainstream experts in transfusion medicine and hematology. They’re wrong, sadly for patients.
Group O red cells and Group AB plasma are not truly ‘universal donor’ in reality. They are a compromise when we don’t know the patient’s ABO type or run out of ABO identical.
There are consequences for patients when we cannot transfuse ABO identical products or products with ABO incompatible antibody and antigen (both cellular and soluble) largely removed. This is particularly known to be true for platelets where randomized trials demonstrate increased bleeding, refractoriness and perhaps mortality when ABO mismatched platelets are transfused.
And as transfusion services, we are not only harming patients, but doubling the need for platelet transfusions when ABO mismatched are routinely transfused.
In addition, ABO mismatched components increase transfusion reactions (both febrile and allergic), red cell and HLA alloimmunization and thus increase the work of the nursing staff and transfusion service staff.
And ABO major incompatible platelets (the first choice in many places) likely provide no hemostatic benefit and instead increase bleeding and mortality.”
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