New ‘PBM Column’ Focuses on Pediatrics

AABB’s Transfusion Safety and Patient Blood Management (TS/PBM) Subsection recently released the latest article in its “PBM Column” series, “Patient Blood Management in Pediatrics.”

In this complimentary resource, Shaughn Nalezinski, MS, MLS(ASCP)^cmSBB^cm, MLS(AMT), provides a comprehensive overview of patient blood management (PBM) in pediatric patients and emphasizes the importance of tailored approaches to optimize care for children requiring blood transfusions.

The column continues with a discussion of the evolving guidelines for transfusion thresholds in neonates, infants and children, noting that factors besides hemoglobin — such as age, comorbidity and respiratory status — must be considered for neonates. Nalezinski also explores alternative modalities, such as iron supplementation, erythrocyte-stimulating agents (ESAs) and acute normovolemic hemodilution, as methods to manage anemia and reduce transfusion needs in pediatric patients.

The column concludes by addressing the identification of anemia, the debate over using fresh versus stored red cells, and the significance of using irradiated blood components to prevent transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD) in neonates. It also highlights the importance of CMV-negative blood for patients with compromised immune systems.

Additional PBM resources are available in AABB’s PBM Toolkit.