Platelet transfusion in a patient affected by Glanzmann's thrombasthenia with antibodies against GPIIb-IIIa

Abstract

Patients affected by Glanzmann's thrombasthenia often require blood and platelet transfusions due to bleeding. They may develop antibodies against platelet antigens and become refractory to platelet transfusions. In this study we present our approach to platelet transfusion in a thrombasthenic patient with platelet antibodies directed against gpIIb/IIIa. We found that platelets from two HPA1b/b donors were weakly positive when matched with the patient's serum. The patient was submitted to dental surgery and platelets were transfused before and after surgery to prevent bleeding. The patient did not experience transfusion reaction and good platelet recovery was observed.