Publications by authors named "Heather McGann"

Managing a platelet blood product inventory in a hospital-based transfusion service (TS) is challenging. Thus, to optimize platelet inventory availability and to prevent excess outdating, most tertiary care center-based TSs do not require ABO-identical platelet (PLT) transfusions. To mitigate the risk of hemolysis associated with the transfusion of high titer ABO antibody-containing PLT, our institutional policy allows the transfusion of PLT containing ABO-incompatible plasma only if PLT is re-suspended in platelet additive solution (PAS).

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Background: Blood usage and collections were impacted throughout 2020 both by the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as public health decisions affecting hospital operations. We sought to understand the longer-term effects of the pandemic on blood usage via changes in case volume and clinical intensity as well as whether the blood needs of COVID-19-positive patients differed from other transfused patients.

Study Design And Methods: A single-center retrospective study of blood use in 2020 as compared to 2014-2019 was conducted at a tertiary care center.

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