A pilot randomized clinical trial of cryopreserved versus liquid-stored platelet transfusion for bleeding in cardiac surgery: The cryopreserved versus liquid platelet-New Zealand pilot trial

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Intensive Care Unit, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand. Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand. Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. New Zealand Blood Service, Auckland, New Zealand. School of Nursing, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Greenlane Department of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand. Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Alexandria, New South Wales, Australia. Joint Health Command, Australian Defence Force, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Vox sanguinis. 2021
PICO Summary

Population

Adult cardiac surgery patients who were at high risk of platelet transfusion, enrolled in the CLIP-NZ Pilot study (n= 89).

Intervention

Cryopreserved platelet transfusion (n= 49).

Comparison

Liquid-stored platelet transfusion (n= 40).

Outcome

The primary outcome was protocol safety and feasibility. Over 13 months, 89 patients were randomized, 23 (25.8%) of whom received a platelet transfusion. There were no differences in median blood loss up to 48 hours between study groups, or in the quantities of study platelets or other blood components transfused. The median platelet concentration on the day after surgery was lower in the cryopreserved platelet group (122 × 10(3) /μl vs. 157 × 10(3) /μl, median difference 39.5 ×10(3) /μl). There were no differences in any of the recorded safety outcomes, and no adverse events were reported on any patient. Multivariable adjustment for imbalances in baseline patient characteristics did not find study group to be a predictor of 24 hours blood loss, red cell transfusion or a composite bleeding outcome.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Platelets for transfusion have a shelf-life of 7 days, limiting availability and leading to wastage. Cryopreservation at -80°C extends shelf-life to at least 1 year, but safety and effectiveness are uncertain. MATERIALS AND METHODS This single centre blinded pilot trial enrolled adult cardiac surgery patients who were at high risk of platelet transfusion. If treating clinicians determined platelet transfusion was required, up to three units of either cryopreserved or liquid-stored platelets intraoperatively or during intensive care unit admission were administered. The primary outcome was protocol safety and feasibility. RESULTS Over 13 months, 89 patients were randomized, 23 (25.8%) of whom received a platelet transfusion. There were no differences in median blood loss up to 48 h between study groups, or in the quantities of study platelets or other blood components transfused. The median platelet concentration on the day after surgery was lower in the cryopreserved platelet group (122 × 10(3) /μl vs. 157 × 10(3) /μl, median difference 39.5 ×10(3) /μl, p = 0.03). There were no differences in any of the recorded safety outcomes, and no adverse events were reported on any patient. Multivariable adjustment for imbalances in baseline patient characteristics did not find study group to be a predictor of 24-h blood loss, red cell transfusion or a composite bleeding outcome. CONCLUSION This pilot randomized controlled trial demonstrated the feasibility of the protocol and adds to accumulating data supporting the safety of this intervention. Given the clear advantage of prolonged shelf-life, particularly for regional hospitals in New Zealand, a definitive non-inferiority phase III trial is warranted.
Study details
Language : eng
Credits : Bibliographic data from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine