[Regional program to improve the quality of blood transfusions in hospitals: experience of the Poitou-Charentes region].

In the Poitou-Charentes area, a regional pilot program was implemented over a two year-period to improve transfusion safety in public and private hospitals. This program consisted in: (i) an evaluation of the transfusion chain in hospitals; (ii) a regional program to guide hospitals in improving the quality process. Five workgroups were set up.

[Comparison of two techniques for detection of anti-Plasmodium falciparum antibodies: Falciparum-spot IF (Biomérieux) and Malaria IgG Celisa (BMD). Preliminary results].

We compared a new Elisa assay to detect malaria antibodies: Malaria IgG Celisa (BMD) with the IFAT technique Falciparum-spot IF (Biomérieux): sensitivity, specificity, predictive positive and negative values were 81%, 99%, 95%, 95%, respectively. Eight patients had positive thick blood smear out of 23 performed. For these eight confirmed acute malaria cases, the Elisa assay was negative in five instances.

Reliability of the pretransfusion bedside compatibility test: association with transfusion practice and training.

Background: The utility of a pretransfusion bedside blood compatibility protocol to decrease immunohemolytic accidents has been questioned for years.

Study Design And Methods: The reliability of a standard bedside ABO compatibility test was evaluated with a stratified random sample of 48 nurses who performed agglutination testing by using Bristol cards, interpreted compatibility, and decided whether to transfuse red cells for 12 randomly and blindly selected donor-and-recipient blood sample pairs. An expert judged technical performance and the interpretation of each card.

Partial myeloperoxidase deficiency in a case of preleukaemia. II. Defects of degranulation and abnormal bactericidal activity of blood neutrophils.

A patient with a refractory anaemia preceding acute myeloblastic leukaemia had an increased susceptibility to infection due to Staphylococcus aureus. 36% of neutrophils lacked myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and, in vitro, these polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) had a defect of bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Cytochemical studies of phagocytosis with the electron miscroscope have shown that the degranulation of primary granules (MPO+ or MPO-) was normal after phagocytosis of Escherichia coli which were normally lysed.

Partial myeloperoxidase deficiency in a case of preleukaemia. I. Studies of fine structure and peroxidase synthesis of promyelocytes.

The ultrastructural localization of peroxidase activity has been studied in the circulating neutrophils and in a neutrophilic series of bone marrow cells from a patient with preleukaemia. Light microscopic examination showed 36% of the polymorphonuclear leucocytes to be totally devoid of myeloperoxidase, while 50% were normally stained and 14% were slightly positive for this enzyme. Electron microscopic studies revealed considerable heterogeneity in the promyelocyte population, since the number of peroxidase-deficient azurophil granules was seen to vary from 0 to 100% in these cells.