deamino-arginine-vasopressin and Infections

The emergence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has fueled concerns of both physicians and their patients about safety of blood transfusions. Although AIDS has generated the most fear, the risk today is extremely remote (1/60.000 units of blood). The risk of transmitting infectious disease by homologous transfusion is decreasing, as more donor screening and testing measures are implemented. The blood supply is safer that at any time, but small transfusion risks exist. The most common problems associated with transfusions are temporary: one in 100-300 recipients will experience fever or rash. The biggest problem is a mismatch of the well-known ABO blood groups and once in every 100-400.000 transfusions the hemolytic reaction is fatal. Viral hepatitis is another serious and important risk. At present hepatitis seems to strike between 1 and 3 percent of transfusion recipients. Most, if not all, of transfusion-associated hepatitis cases are caused by hepatitis C virus. Cytomegalovirus can cause primary infection, reactivation or reinfection by transfusion. Immunosuppressed patients are more likely to develop more severe disease. Epstein-Barr virus does not seem to cause significant post-transfusion disease. Bacterial or protozoal infections are an infrequently encountered adverse effect of transfusion. However, some clinical cases document the potential hazard of blood components as a vector for bacteria or protozoa. Homologous blood transfusion down-regulates some immune functions. Host defences against malignancy and infection may in some instances be severely compromised by transfusions of homologous blood.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adult; Blood Donors; Blood Transfusion, Autologous; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin; Epoprostenol; Erythropoietin; Female; Graft vs Host Disease; Hemodilution; Hepatitis, Viral, Human; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infections; Male; Pregnancy; Prognosis; Protozoan Infections; Risk Factors; Transfusion Reaction

The optimal treatment of patients with von Willebrand's disease (vWD) remains to be defined. Moreover, it has not been firmly established which, if any, commonly measured parameters of von Willebrand factor (vWF) protein in the plasma are useful in guiding treatment. To better understand what guidelines physicians follow in the management of vWD, we surveyed 194 North American physicians who are members of the Hemophilia Research Society. Ninety-nine per cent of responding physicians depend on factor VIII (FVIII):C, vWF:RCo activity and vWF:AG to diagnose vWD, while only 49% use the bleeding time. The minimal goals of treatment for patients undergoing major surgery/trauma or central nervous system haemorrhage were FVIII:C and vWF:RCo activity greater than 80% while levels of more than 50% for minor surgery and dental extractions were considered adequate. Treatment of vWD was based on the type of vWD with type 1 patients being treated most often with desmopressin acetate (DDAVP) alone, types 2A and 2B patients with a combination of DDAVP and a vWF-containing FVIII product, type 3 patients with vWF-containing concentrate. Viral infections, including human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis A, B and C viruses, and parvovirus have been seen in vWD and the efficacy of viral attenuation processes is a major criterion for the selection of treatment by physicians. Based on this survey, prospective studies need to be designed to address the clinical efficacy, safety and predictive value of laboratory monitoring of patients with vWD.

Topics: Ambulatory Care Facilities; Data Collection; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin; Disease Management; Factor VIII; Hemorrhage; Humans; Infections; North America; Partial Thromboplastin Time; Societies, Scientific; von Willebrand Diseases; von Willebrand Factor

Plasma levels of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) antigen and t-PA/PAI-1 complex were measured in plasmas from 18 healthy subjects and 75 patients with various diseases (28 patients with haematological malignancies, 20 with thrombotic diseases, five with infectious diseases, four with liver diseases, ten with bleeding disorders and eight miscellaneous conditions). In addition, we studied ten patients with bleeding disorders after DDAVP infusion and 18 healthy subjects after venous occlusion. Plasma levels of t-PA antigen, PAI-1 antigen and t-PA/PAI-1 complex were increased in the patients compared with the healthy subjects. t-PA/PAI-1 complex levels correlated well with t-PA antigen levels and molar concentrations of t-PA antigen were similar to those of the t-PA/PAI-1 complex. Venous occlusion induced an increase in both t-PA antigen and PAI-1 antigen and the molar concentration of the t-PA/PAI-1 complex was equivalent to that of t-PA antigen. Following DDAVP infusion, the levels of t-PA antigen and t-PA/PAI-1 complex increased but PAI-1 antigen levels decreased, and the increase of t-PA antigen was greater than that of t-PA/PAI-1 complex. These findings indicate that PAI-1 antigen exceeds t-PA antigen in healthy subjects and in patients with various diseases. We conclude that part of the t-PA/PAI-1 complex is rapidly cleared from the circulation and that free t-PA increases after DDAVP infusion.

Topics: Adult; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin; Fibrinolysis; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Infections; Liver Diseases; Male; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; Pressure; Reference Values; Tissue Plasminogen Activator; Veins