The paper from MD Anderson investigators, published in this issue of Transfusion , 1 has historical significance because it was one of many from this group to suggest that transfusion… Click to show full abstract
The paper from MD Anderson investigators, published in this issue of Transfusion , 1 has historical significance because it was one of many from this group to suggest that transfusion of allogeneic granulocytes, primarily neutrophils, when added to antibiotics, could benefit treatment of infections in severely neutropenic patients with hematologic malignancies. The paper was typical of many reports then, and to come for the next 50 years, as a carefully designed observational study lacking control patients randomly allocated not to receive granulocyte transfusions. Accordingly, possible benefit/efficacy was judged by comparison with predicted outcomes in similar patients not given granulocytes. Interestingly, the conclu-sion that granulocyte transfusions were effective in con-trolling infections that fail to respond to antibiotics was not followed by the usual cautionary statement that controlled studies are necessary to document efficacy. The unusual/innovative “ twist ” was performing apheresis collections on patients with elevated blood granulocyte counts to chronic phase chronic myelogenous (CML), in of collecting higher yields of neutrophils for transfusion. hope was a blood cell per product (cid:1) median of The was from 36% to 76%, the of
               
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