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Low rate of Rhesus immunization from Rh-incompatible blood transfusions during liver and heart transplant surgery.
- Source :
-
Transplantation [Transplantation] 1989 Jun; Vol. 47 (6), pp. 993-5. - Publication Year :
- 1989
-
Abstract
- Transfusion of one unit or more of Rh-positive red blood cells normally causes circulating anti-D antibody to appear 2-6 months later in 80-95% of Rh- persons. We asked whether transplant immunosuppression with cyclosporine and corticosteroids affects Rh immunization. Nineteen Rh- liver, heart, and heart-lung transplant recipients received 3-153 (median: 10) units of Rh+ RBCs at surgery and were tested for anti-D greater than 2 months later. Three patients developed anti-D at 11-15 days; one may have had an unusually rapid primary immune response and two were secondary to previous exposure by pregnancy. None of the other 16 patients had anti-D when tested 2.5-51 months later (13 patients, greater than 11.5 months). This low rate of Rhesus immunization in association with cyclosporine immunosuppression allows greater flexibility in meeting the transfusion needs of Rh- liver and heart transplant patients. Caution is still advised in young females and in patients who may have been previously exposed to Rh+ RBCs by transfusion or by pregnancy prior to the availability of perinatal Rh immune globulin twenty years ago. Other humoral immune responses to some vaccines or infectious agents may also be impaired in transplant patients.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Child
Child, Preschool
Erythrocyte Transfusion
Female
Humans
Intraoperative Period
Isoantibodies analysis
Isoantibodies biosynthesis
Male
Middle Aged
Postoperative Complications etiology
Rh Isoimmunization blood
Rh-Hr Blood-Group System immunology
Heart Transplantation
Liver Transplantation
Rh Isoimmunization etiology
Transfusion Reaction
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0041-1337
- Volume :
- 47
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Transplantation
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 2499963
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1097/00007890-198906000-00015