Current Status of Korean Red Cross HLA-Matched Platelet Donor Registry / 대한수혈학회지

ABSTRACT

HLA-matched platelet transfusion is required for patients with platelet refractoriness due to HLA alloimmunity. From 2013 to 2019, the Korean Red Cross has recruited 4,080 donors for HLA-matched platelets. The patient’s HLA information should be submitted to the Korean Red Cross in accordance with the WHO HLA serologic specificities. When HLA-matched platelets are requested, the Korean Red Cross selects the appropriate donors based on Duquesnoy’s matching grade classification (1977) and CREGs defined by Takemoto, Fuller, and Rodey (2007) and then contacts them to request blood donations. Platelets of HLA-matched donors are collected by apheresis and supplied to the hospital. To make this process more efficient, the Korean Red Cross introduced a systemic standard work procedure using a computer program for blood donor management and HLA matching. Owing to the extensive polymorphism of the HLA types, expansion of the donor pool would be required to supply HLA-matched platelets sufficiently. As the number of registered donors for HLA-matched platelets is limited, it should only be ordered when the indication criteria for its use are met. The Korean Red Cross is planning to study genotype-based matching strategies for patients with rare HLA types and receive patients’ laboratory test results from medical institutions to evaluate the effectiveness of HLA-matched platelet transfusions.