Post-transfusion Platelet Count

Patients who are hospitalized at the Clinic for Hematology Diseases at the Skåne University Hospital (SUS) in Lund, Sweden with a central venous catheter or port-a-cath and should receive platelet transfusion due to thrombocytopenia are asked to participate in the study. Some patients who are being considered for platelet transfusions on several occasions will be able to attend more than one time in this study. After signed informed consent blood samples are drawn from the central line before, immediately after and then approximately. 1, 4, 8, 16 and 24 hours following the platelet transfusion. The platelet count (PLC) will then be taken daily following 4 days.

Sample size. Data from previous studies (Norol-98) shows that the PLC after platelet transfusion rises by 33 ± 25 x109/L (mean ± SD) 12 hours post-transfusion in patients with acute myeloid leukemia or pre-conditioning prior to bone marrow transplantation. The investigators want to show the same rise in the PLC after 12 hours with 80% power and 5% alpha risk of error for each group resulting in the sample size 13 per group and a total of 65 patients.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients admitted to the Clinic of Hematology Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden belonging to either of the groups described in paragraph 8 above and are prescribed platelet transfusion.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with aplastic anemia or treatment with antithymocyte globulin (ATG)