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3.10.4 - General Haematology for Intensive Care

from Section 3.10 - Haematological and Oncological Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2023

Ned Gilbert-Kawai
Affiliation:
The Royal Liverpool Hospital
Debashish Dutta
Affiliation:
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Harlow
Carl Waldmann
Affiliation:
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
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Summary

Key Learning Points

  1. 1. Anaemia in critical illness is often multifactorial. Careful assessment of history and trend of haemoglobin and full blood count parameters can help direct further investigations.

  2. 2. Restrictive red cell transfusion strategies are associated with lower mortality in the intensive care unit. The default transfusion threshold is 70 g/l unless there are specific conditions, e.g. cardiac disease.

  3. 3. Thrombocytopenia in critical illness is common and often reflects abnormal physiology; therefore, the mainstay of management is to treat the underlying cause.

  4. 4. Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) have highly variable clinical presentations due to different sickle genotypes and clinical heterogeneity within each genotype. Therefore, the severity of previous sickle cell crises is the best indicator of severity of their condition. Management should be led by haematologists with experience in SCD.

  5. 5. Therapeutic plasma exchange removes harmful large molecules from the circulation. Protocols vary according to indication; therefore, management should be directed by the clinical team with expertise in the underlying condition.

Type
Chapter
Information
Intensive Care Medicine
The Essential Guide
, pp. 336 - 342
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

References and Further Reading

Estcourt, LJ, Birchall, J, Allard, S, et al.; British Committee for Standards in Haematology. Guidelines for the use of platelet transfusions. Br J Haematol 2017;176:365–94.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oteng-Ntim, E, Pavord, S, Howard, R, et al.; British Society for Haematology Guideline. Management of sickle cell disease in pregnancy. A British Society for Haematology Guideline. Br J Haematol 2021;194:980–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Retter, A, Wyncoll, D, Pearse, R, et al.; British Committee for Standards in Haematology. Guidelines on the management of anaemia and red cell transfusion in adult critically ill patients. Br J Haematol 2013;160:445–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schwartz, J, Winters, JL, Padmanabhan, A, et al. Guidelines on the use of therapeutic apheresis in clinical practice-evidence-based approach from the Writing Committee of the American Society for Apheresis: the sixth special issue. J Clin Apher 2013;28:145284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shander, A, Javidroozi, M, Lobel, G. Patient blood management in the intensive care unit. Transfus Med Rev 2017;31:264–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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