Experience With Pre-procedural Hemostatic Medications versus Platelet Transfusion in Patients With Platelet Storage Pool Deficiency.

BackgroundStorage pool deficiency (SPD) is a rare bleeding disorder characterized by reduction in the number of delta granules within platelets, interfering with hemostasis. Current literature lacks well-designed studies from which to draw concrete conclusions regarding pre-procedural management of bleeding complications. The purpose of this study is to describe bleeding and safety outcomes of SPD patients receiving either pre-procedural platelet transfusions or platelet-sparing regimens. An exploratory retrospective cohort study was conducted among SPD patients, comparing major bleeding events between those who received platelet transfusion and those who received desmopressin, tranexamic acid, and/or aminocaproic acid within 24 hours prior to procedure. Rates of major bleeding were not found to be higher among patients who received a platelet-sparing regimen [platelet-sparing: 2/25 (8%); platelet transfusion: 2/29 (6.9%); = .99]. Incidence of non-major bleeding was higher in the platelet transfusion group, but this was not statistically significant [platelet-sparing: 0/25 (0%); platelet transfusion: 3/29 (10.3%); = .24]. Treatment-related adverse effects were observed following 8 of 54 procedures (14.8%). Use of a platelet-sparing regimen was not associated with a significantly higher incidence of major or non-major bleeding events. Future prospective trials are recommended to compare outcomes between therapies.