Infants and children are NOT just "little adults!" Dr. Cassandra Josephson shares 5 principles you must know about pediatric transfusion.

C Josephson MD

Dr. Cassandra Josephson

C Josephson MD

Dr. Cassandra Josephson

About My Guest:

Dr. Cassandra Josephson is one of only a few physicians in the United States trained and board-certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, and Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine. She is a Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Lab Medicine and Pediatrics at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. She is the medical director of the blood/tissue banks, and apheresis services at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Director of Clinical Research in the Emory Center for Transfusion and Cellular Therapies. She is also the co-author of the "Neonatal and Pediatric Transfusion" chapter in the 18th edition of the AABB Technical Manual, among many other publications.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed on this episode are those of my guest and I alone, and do not reflect those of the organizations with which either of us is affiliated. Dr. Josephson serves as a consultant to the following companies: Immucor, Octapharma, and Biomet Zimmer.

Time-Stamped Notes

  • 02:00: Intro to Dr. Josephson
  • 09:45: Top Five Things #1: "The Volumes Vary"
  • 19:10: Out of group plasma risk discussion
  • 20:25: Top Five Things #2: "Predicting Platelet Effect in Neonates, Pediatric Oncology, and Stem Cell Patients"
  • 22:30: Description of new paper showing no benefit of platelet transfusions in preventing neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage!
  • 25:05: PLADO subanalysis showing platelet count does not predict bleeding in children
  • 32:40: Top Five Things #3: "Cleaning House; Irradiation and "CMV-safe" products"
  • 35:55: Neonates at risk for TA-GVHD
  • 39:28: CMV-safe blood products and neonatal CMV transmission
  • 45:37: Optimal CMV prevention strategy
  • 49:30: Top Five Things #4: "An Ounce of Prevention Makes RBC Transfusion Possible and Lifesaving"
  • 53:45: Matching RBC transfusions in sickle cell disease
  • 60:00: Future danger of allowing pediatric sickle cell patients to make alloantibodies
  • 65:20: Top Five Things #5: "A Look at Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn"
  • 67:35: ABO Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn

Further Reading (in order mentioned):