[Blood transfusion in patients undergoing heart transplant surgery].

Background: In patients undergoing cardiac surgery, one of the most common complications is bleeding. There are risk factors associated with bleeding and transfusion during or after cardiac surgery. The decision of blood transfusion depends on the individualized characteristics of each patient.

[Clinical pathology: between the clinic and basic sciences].

The specialty in clinical pathology is the interconsultant specialty of the other specialties, so clinical pathologists are required to be experts in the art of using basic sciences to carry out an adequate interpretation of laboratory studies with the clinic. Knowledge and proper handling of terms such as quality control, interferences and biological variability, allows for better advice in various fields of medicine. In the field of transfusion medicine, the specialty is the one with the most experience; since the knowledge acquired during academic training includes the entire transfusion chain, which offers the advantage of better evaluating not only transfusion needs, but also their adverse effects.

[Implementation of isotermic PCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus].

During the SARS CoV-2 pandemic, measures were implemented to reduce contagion in hospitals. Among those measures it was included RT-PCR (reverse transcriptose polymerase chain reaction) tests, with an estimated result delivery time of approximately 3 hours. The Abbott ID NOW™ COVID-19 assay (Abbott Laboratories Chicago, IL) is performed on a portable device using isothermal technology for nucleic acid amplification that can produce a qualitative result in 13 minutes.

[Iron in pre-operative stage and transfusion in patients undergoing hysterectomy].

Background: The correction of preoperative anemia is part of the patient blood management program, in order to improve the patient's clinical results by reducing the number of transfusions in surgery. Uterine fibroids can cause anemia, so the application of iron before hysterectomy could reduce transfusion.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of iron treatment in the preoperative stage on the need for transfusion in patients with anemia secondary to myomatosis in the trans and postoperative stage of hysterectomy.

[Comment on article: "Laboratories as predictors of length of hospital stay in patients with pneumonia"].

Laboratory studies are a useful tool for both diagnosis and prognosis of pathologies, especially in the emergency room. In the article they seek to establish an association between laboratory studies and hospital stay in patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Some suggestions are made to improve the structured review of the article.

[Comment on article "Variability of hemoglobin and hematocrit determined in blood gas equipment"].

´The analysis of samples on different equipment may lead to variation between results; in the article "Variability of hemoglobin and hematocrit determined in blood gas equipment", the authors talk about the variability of hemoglobin and hematocrit between an automated hematology analyzer and an arterial blood gas analyzer. Information is requested on some aspects considered relevant to improve the understanding of the conclusions.

[History of the 60 years of the 21th Century National Medical Center's Central Blood Bank].

The Blood Bank of the 21th Century National Medical Center is an important piece in the field of transfusion medicine at the national level. Its history shows that it has been in constant change to be able to meet the needs in an adequate and safe manner for both donors and patients. This article shows the advances that the Central Blood Bank has had since its inauguration.

[Molecular biology in a blood bank].

Medicine has had a vertiginous advance in the last two centuries. After the first successful transfusions, transfusional medicine and blood banks arose. The ladder perform vital functions, from donor screening to the studies for the analysis of blood that are carried out before its use for transfusion and the follow-up of patients who receive blood components.

[PCR for COVID in the transplant protocol].

Background: Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, identifying the COVID-19 pathophysiology not only has been addressed to applying diagnostic tests or preventing through vaccines, but also to the timely detection, especially of patients in risk groups such as those in transplants areas (renal, hematology, etcetera). In the case of these patients, using RT-PCR tests avoids putting them at risk by subjecting them to states of immunosuppression that could aggravate their situation if they were faced with an onset of a COVID-19 infection.

Objective: To present the results of patients of a transplant unit tested for SARS-CoV-2.

[Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in resident physicians].

Background: COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world swiftly; there are several diagnostic strategies available. Health workers, especially medical residents (MR), are a high-risk population for acquiring this infection.

Objective: To estimate the seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and the associated factors in MR of a third level hospital.

[Comment on article: "Blood products with autologous transfusion versus allogeneic transfusion in cardiac surgery patients"].

Evaluating transfusion options helps reduce the use of blood products and improve their distribution. The study "Blood products with autologous transfusion versus allogeneic transfusion in cardiac surgery patients" shows a comparison between the options available to improve blood management in patients in the surgical stage. We ask the authors for more information on the data analysis performed to improve the understanding of the conclusions obtained.