Adverse Effects of RBC Transfusions: A Unifying Hypothesis

Summary

Transfusion of red blood cells is often used in critically ill patients with low red blood cell counts to prevent disease progression and death. Recent studies suggest that the use of "aged" versus "fresh" red blood cells are associated with worse clinical outcomes. There is evidence that red blood cells work with the cells lining our blood vessels to produce a variety of substances that normally cause arteries to relax and increase blood supply. Two of these substances are called nitric oxide (NO) and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). The investigators are trying to determine the nature of these substances in human beings when they are transfused "aged" versus "fresh" red blood cells. It is their thought that "aged" red blood cells have less of the substances (NO and EDHF) that naturally relax our arteries and further changes the blood supply. One way to determine this is to transfuse a subject's own "aged" and "fresh" red blood cells and inject substances such as L-NMMA (L-NG monomethyl arginine) and TEA (tetraethylammonium chloride), which block the production of NO and EDHF respectively, and then, study what happens to the blood flow. There is evidence that red blood cells produce NO, which normally causes arteries to relax and increase blood supply. The investigators will try to determine the nature of NO in red blood cells and whether the amount of this substance is altered because of different blood processing and storage techniques. It is their thought that "aged" red blood cells have less NO that naturally relaxes our arteries and further changes the blood supply. This study is designed to determine the most ideal way of storing and processing blood.

Timeline

Start

2009-04

Primary completion

2013-05

Completion

2013-10

Publications

• Hayek SS, Neuman R, Ashraf K, Sher S, Newman JL, Karatela S, Roback JD, Quyyumi AA. Effect of storage-aged red blood cell transfusions on endothelial function in healthy subjects. Transfusion. 2015 Nov;55(11):2768-70. doi: 10.1111/trf.13276. No abstract available.
• Neuman R, Hayek S, Rahman A, Poole JC, Menon V, Sher S, Newman JL, Karatela S, Polhemus D, Lefer DJ, De Staercke C, Hooper C, Quyyumi AA, Roback JD. Effects of storage-aged red blood cell transfusions on endothelial function in hospitalized patients. Transfusion. 2015 Apr;55(4):782-90. doi: 10.1111/trf.12919. Epub 2014 Nov 13.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.