Clinical audit of platelet use in Victoria & Tasmanian hospitals 2007

Page content: Overview | Download document

Overview

Platelet transfusion is indicated for the prevention and treatment of haemorrhage in patients with thrombocytopenia or platelet function defects. Previous studies have shown a wide variation in clinical practice in the transfusion of platelets.

The platelet count is the primary trigger for the use of platelets, with the risk of bleeding and the extent of bleeding also used as indicators for platelet transfusion.

The National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion has published guidelines for the appropriate use of transfusion of platelets (NH&MRC/ANZSBT, 2001, page 23—24).

These guidelines recommend transfusion of platelets in the following specific situations:

For prophylactic use:

• In bone marrow failure when the platelet count is less than 10 x 10⁹/L without risk factors or less than 20 x 10⁹/L in the presence of additional risk factors (such as, fever, antibiotics, evidence of systematic haemostatic failure).
• To maintain the platelet count at greater than 50 x 10⁹/L in patients undergoing surgery or invasive procedures
• In inherited or acquired qualitative platelet function disorders, depending on clinical features and setting.

For therapeutic use:

• In any patient who is bleeding in whom thrombocytopenia is considered a major contributory factor
• When the platelet count is 50 x 10⁹/L in the context of massive haemorrhage/transfusion and 100 x 10⁹/L in the presence of diffuse microvascular bleeding

Download document

Clinical audit of platelet use in Victoria and Tasmanian hospitals 2007 (484kb, pdf)

top of page