REVIEWS   

Minerva Pediatrica 2004 October;56(5):507-18

Copyright © 2004 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Transfusions in paediatric emergencies

Caramia G., Vendemmia M.

The interest in pathological emergencies and their therapeutical options has underscored the need for immediate, precise and evidence based criteria in the administration of blood products. Infact these often are an extremely important therapeutical option, above all for children less than 3 years old. Therefore our work pointed out a precise and easy to follow diagnostic and therapeutic alghoritm as already done for other clinical emergencies. We tried to supply all the indications for the correct use of whole blood, red packed cells, platelets, granulocytes, plasma and albumin. This alghoritm includes the history, the ethiological and clinical aspects, the domiciliary interventions, the indications to the admission, the diagnostic investigations, the therapeutical aspects and the indications to the discharge. Starting from our assigned aims and following the above mentioned alghoritm, we also try to give some practical updated and evidence based hints to face the difficult situations arisen by the anxious attentions of the relatives. Infact these can sometimes be cause of mistakes. Medicine is, however, a ever changing science. The new knowledges and technologies and the changes according to the new acquisitions are at the basis of the continuous development of new diagnostic and therapeutical approaches. Our aim was therefore to provide a state of art in this field using the data published in the most recent and authoritative literature.