26 October 2026 (Monday) - BTLP-TACT Exercise

It’s pouring hard outside, I’ve done the ironing… time for a BTLP-TACT exercise.

I had one case – a forty-three year-old woman in the haematology clinic needing group and save and two units of cryo for a Factor VIII deficiency.

 

The control well was positive so the entire blood group was uninterpretable.

The antibody screen was negative

According to https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4627369 Cryo is not recommended for Factor VIII deficiency  so I didn’t issue any

 

I fully expected to get the thumbs-down on this one, but I got it right.

26 October 2026 (Monday) - CML Treatment

 

The correct answer is 5:  

Levels of BCR::ABL1 mRNA in peripheral blood from patients on treatment serve as a surrogate for disease burden, and strongly correlate with outcome. Monitoring of response should be done by quantitative polymerase chain reaction at least every 3 months, until an MMR is achieved and confirmed.  

Reference:
Apperley JF, Milojkovic D, Cross NCP, et al. 2025 European LeukemiaNet recommendations for the management of chronic myeloid leukemia. Leukemia. 2025;39:1797–1813. doi:10.1038/s41375-025-02664-w. 

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25 October 2026 (Sunday) - Slide Saturday Challenge

Looks like a schistocyte to me

22 October 2026 (Thursday) - BTLP-TACT Exercise

With a few minutes before a hospital appointment I thought I might do a BTLP-TACT exercise.

I had one case – a forty-one year-old woman in theatre needing four units for a PPH.

She grouped as O Rh(D) Positive with a negative antibody screen.

I selected four units of O Rh(D) Positive K Negative CMV Negative

I got the green light.

22 October 2026 (Thursday) - Transfusion Evidence Library Update

ARTICLE OF THE MONTH

Efficacy and safety of mitapivat in adults with transfusion-dependent α-thalassaemia or β-thalassaemia (ENERGIZE-T): a double-blind, randomised, multicentre, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.
Cappellini, M.D., et al. (2026). Lancet.
PICO SUMMARY

 

 

TOP ARTICLES

A scoping review of reversible cerebral encephalopathy syndromes following blood transfusion in the settings of anemia and clinical recommendations
Ali HT, Nouh Y, Obadi A, Habib I, Abutawahina K, et al. Neurol Sci. 2026 Sep 17;47(10).

Intravenous Immunoglobulin Add-On in Newly Diagnosed Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Özkaynar P, Evers S, Kamperman R, Smithuis F, Eftimov F, et al. JAMA Neurol. 2026 Sep 14.

Low-dose baricitinib plus danazol in primary immune thrombocytopenia: a randomized, controlled phase 2 trial.
Zhao, P., et al. (2026). Nature Communications.

AINAR trial: A randomized controlled trial to assess the usefulness of artificial intelligence-based game to conquer needle fear in blood donors
Meher R, Patidar GK. Transfus Clin Biol. 2026 Sep 7.

Efficacy and safety of thalidomide (1 vs 2 mg/kg/d) in transfusion-dependent thalassemia: A Non-Inferiority Trial
Kakkar S, Mahajan A, Sharma RA, Radhakrishnan N, Manglani M, et al. Blood Adv. 2026 Sep 1.

Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose and exercise capacity in iron-deficient kidney transplant recipients: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial in the Netherlands
Vinke JSJ, Eisenga MF, van der Vaart A, van Lieshout CJ, Dolmans HWGM, et al. EClinicalMedicine. 2026 Sep 1;99:104169.

Minimizing blood sampling in preterm infants
Nissimov S, Sibrecht G, Weerasekara I, Bartocci M, Bruschettini M, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2026 Aug 26;8(8).

A Phase IIa, Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Parallel, Multicentre, Proof-of-Concept Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Desidustat Oral Tablet for Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease
Desai M, Solanki B, Hathila M, Asati V, Shah S, et al. Eur J Haematol. 2026 Aug 25.

Continuation versus discontinuation of intravenous oxytocin in the active phase of labour
Boie S, Uldbjerg N, Bor P, Thornton JG, Le Ray C, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2026 Aug 25;8(8).

 

 

20 October 2026 (Tuesday) - Talking Twaddle

I posted this to my Facebook feed, but it seems somehow relevent here too...

19 October 2026 (Monday) - BTLP-TACT Exercise

 I thought I might do another BTLP-TACT exercise. I was presented with two cases

 

05898 – a sixty-one year-old chap in out-patients needing a pre-operative group and save.

His ABO group was uninterpretable as there was no reaction in anything. One for NHSBT. His Rh(D) group was negative.

His antibody screen was negative.

 

72428 – a fifty-two year-old chap also needing group and save following over-anticoagulation.

He grouped as A Rh(D) Positive and also had a negative antibody screen.

 

I got the thumbs-up which, bearing in mind my last few goes, came as something of a relief.