The Italian registry of therapeutic apheresis in SISTRA: Year of activity 2023.

The Italian Registry of Therapeutic Apheresis (IRTA) collects clinical data on patients undergoing therapeutic apheresis procedures throughout the national territory, with the main objective of improving the quality and safety of the care provided to the patient. Given the importance of centralizing the collection and analysis of information on therapeutic apheresis, the National Blood Center (NBC), at the request of the Italian Scientific Society of Hemapheresis and Cellular Manipulation (SIdEM), has included IRTA in the Information System of Transfusion Services (SISTRA), which is the information system of the Ministry of Health for the exchange of data on blood and its derivatives between the Italian Regions and the NBC. This manuscript reports IRTA activity data for 2023 maintaining the general approach introduced in previous manuscripts to facilitate comparison with already published activity data (2020-2022).

The Italian registry of therapeutic apheresis in SISTRA: Year of activity 2022.

Therapeutic apheresis refers to a group of extracorporeal blood processing procedures used in the treatment of a variety of systemic diseases. These complex procedures are burdened by adverse reactions related to both procedures and underlying medical conditions. Given the importance of centralizing the collection and the analysis of information on therapeutic apheresis, the Italian National Blood Center (NBC), at the request of the Italian Scientific Society of Hemapheresis and Cell Manipulation (SIdEM), implemented the Italian Registry of Therapeutic Apheresis (IRTA) including it in the Information System of Transfusion Services (SISTRA), coordinated by the NBC.

Hyperimmune Globulins for the Management of Infectious Diseases.

This review is focused on the use of hyperimmune globulin therapy to treat some infectious diseases of viral or bacterial origin. Despite the introduction of antibiotics and vaccines, plasma immunoglobulin therapy from whole blood donation can still play a key role. These treatments provide passive transfer of high-titer antibodies that either reduces the risk or the severity of the infection and offer immediate but short-term protection against specific diseases.

The Italian registry of therapeutic apheresis: year of activity 2021.

In 2019, the Italian National Blood Center (NBC), at the request of the Italian Scientific Society of Haemapheresis and Cell Manipulation (SIdEM), included the Italian Registry of Therapeutic Apheresis (IRTA) in the Information System of Transfusion Services (SISTRA), whose activity is coordinated by the NBC. The IRTA provides institutions and scientific societies with a wide range of information including therapeutic procedures and outcomes of treated patients. The Italian National Health Service offers therapeutic apheresis for patients with various conditions, but it is mainly the patient with haematological and/or neurological disorders who turns to the apheresis centres as evidenced by the activity data of 2021.

Vasovagal reactions in whole blood and apheresis donors: a cross-sectional study on donor haemovigilance data from 2016 to 2019 in Italy.

Background: Acute and delayed vasovagal reactions (VVR) are the most frequent adverse reactions (AR) associated with donations. The aim of this study was to provide the data of the Italian donor haemovigilance system and contextualise the VVR data within the international framework, as well as evaluating, among first-time donors, the association of gender and age and the prevalence of VVR compared to other AR.

Materials And Methods: The prevalence analysis was performed on VVR and other AR notified to the Italian haemovigilance system from 2016 to 2019.

The Italian registry of therapeutic apheresis enters the information system of transfusion services - SISTRA.

The National Blood Centre (NBC) at the request of the Italian Scientific Society of Haemapheresis and Cell Manipulation (SIdEM) has funded and developed a software dedicated to the collection of data related to therapeutic apheresis procedures, known as the Italian Registry of Therapeutic Apheresis (IRTA). Although on a voluntary basis, participation in the registry was widespread. The data collected includes type and number of procedures, patients treated and their outcomes, and reported adverse events to the procedures.

A forecasting model to estimate the drop in blood supplies during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Italy.

Objectives: To estimate the number of actually Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected blood donors applying a statistical forecasting model.

Background: Following the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, a drop in blood donation has been observed. It is crucial to determine the actual number of potential SARS-CoV-2-positive donors to define the measures and ensure adequate blood supply.

Prevalence, incidence and residual risk of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus infection in Italy from 2009 to 2018.

Background: In Italy, the use of nucleic acid testing for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in donor screening has allowed the detection of infections in the window phase, as well as the presence of occult infections which could potentially be transmitted. The aim of this study was to analyse the trends of epidemiological data focused on HBV infection in blood donors and to estimate the residual risk of transmitting HBV from both the window phase and occult infection over a 10-year period in Italy.

Materials And Methods: Data were obtained from the Italian Haemovigilance System which includes the results of screening tests for transfusion transmissible infections.

Emicizumab for the treatment of haemophilia A: a narrative review.

One of the most serious complications of the treatment of severe haemophilia A is the development of alloantibodies against exogenous factor VIII (FVIII). Inhibitors render factor replacement therapy ineffective, exposing patients to a remarkably high risk of morbidity and mortality. Besides the well-known bypassing agents (i.

Patient Blood Management: a revolutionary approach to transfusion medicine.

Patient Blood Management (PBM) is a multimodal, multidisciplinary approach adopted to limit the use and the need for allogeneic blood transfusion in all at-risk patients with the aim of improving their clinical outcomes. Although PBM usually refers to surgical patients, its clinical use has gradually evolved over the last few years and it now also refers to medical conditions. This review will critically analyse the current knowledge on the use of PBM programmes in surgical and non-surgical patients.

Rare congenital bleeding disorders.

The rare congenital bleeding disorders are a heterogeneous group of diseases which include deficiencies of fibrinogen, prothrombin and factors V, V + VIII, VII, X, XI and XIII. They are usually transmitted as autosomal recessive disorders, and the prevalence of the severe forms ranges from one case in 500,000 for factor VII up to one in 2,000,000 for factor XIII in the general population. Patients with rare congenital bleeding disorders may have a broad spectrum of clinical symptoms, ranging from mucocutaneous bleeding to life-threatening haemorrhages, such as those occurring in the central nervous system.

Prevalence, incidence and residual risk of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus after the implementation of nucleic acid testing in Italy: a 7-year (2009-2015) survey.

Background: In Italy nucleic acid testing (NAT) became mandatory for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 2002 and for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus in 2008. The aim of this study was to monitor the incidence and prevalence of HIV and HCV infections in Italian blood donors and the current residual risk of these infections after the introduction of NAT.

Materials And Methods: The Italian national blood surveillance system includes data from tests used to screen for transfusion-transmissible infections.

Safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid for prevention of obstetric haemorrhage: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: A number of clinical systematic review and meta-analysis have been published on the use of tranexamic in the obstetric setting. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss when given prior to caesarean delivery.

Materials And Methods: We searched the Cochrane Wounds Specialized Register, Cochrane Central, MEDLINE (through PUBMED), Embase, and SCOPUS electronic databases.

Inhibitors in Patients with Congenital Bleeding Disorders Other Than Hemophilia.

The most worrying complication of replacement therapy for severe hemophilia A and B is currently the occurrence of inhibitory alloantibodies against infused factor VIII and factor IX, respectively. Inhibitors compromise the management of hemorrhage in affected patients, with a considerable increase in complications, disability, and costs. While these alloantibodies have been extensively studied in the past years in hemophilia A and B, those occurring in patients with other inherited bleeding disorders are less well characterized and still poorly understood, mostly due to the rarity of these hemorrhagic conditions.

Human T-lymphotropic virus and transfusion safety: does one size fit all?

Human T-cell leukemia viruses (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2) are associated with a variety of human diseases, including some severe ones. Transfusion transmission of HTLV through cellular blood components is undeniable. HTLV screening of blood donations became mandatory in different countries to improve the safety of blood supplies.

The Chikungunya epidemic in Italy and its repercussion on the blood system.

Background: The Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and recently caused a massive epidemic on La Réunion Island, in the Indian Ocean. Between July and September 2007 it caused the first autochthonous epidemic outbreak in Europe, in the Region of Emilia-Romagna in the north-east of Italy.

Materials And Methods: After the first reports of an unusually high number of patients with a febrile illness of unknown origin in two contiguous villages, an outbreak investigation was carried out to identify the primary source of infection, the modes of transmission and the dynamics of the epidemic.

The first data from the haemovigilance system in Italy.

Background: Haemovigilance is defined as the surveillance of adverse reactions occurring in donors and in recipients of blood components and as epidemiological surveillance of donors. The ultimate purpose of haemovigilance is to prevent the repetition of adverse events and reactions. Since the 2002/98/EC Directive came into force, the introduction of haemovigilance systems has become a priority for all countries in the European Community.

Residual risk of transfusion-transmitted human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus, and hepatitis B virus infections in Italy.

Background: Estimating the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) is essential for monitoring blood safety. The residual risk of TTI was estimated for nearly 90 percent of the blood supply in Italy.

Study Design And Methods: Data were analyzed from 1,079,281 repeat donors, corresponding to 5,361,000 donations made in blood transfusion centers throughout Italy in the period 1999 through 2001.