Critical bleeding in adults and children with immune thrombocytopenia: a multicenter cohort study

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Critical bleeding in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a life-threatening hematologic emergency. This study aimed to describe the frequency, management, and outcomes of critical bleeds among adults and children with ITP. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with ITP who presented to the emergency room with a platelet count <20 × 109/L across 7 centers in the United States and Canada between 2010 and 2019. Of 1226 patients (n = 296 adults; n = 930 children), 28 (2.3%) had critical bleeds (adults, n = 15 [median age, 68 years]; children, n = 13 [median age, 11 years]). Of patients with critical bleeds, 12 adults (80.0%) and 6 children (46.2%) had intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). For adults, the common interventions used to treat critical bleeds were platelet transfusions (n = 11 [73.3%]), corticosteroids (n = 10 [66.7%]), and IV immunoglobulin (n = 8 [53.3%]), and for children, common interventions were IV immunoglobulin (n = 10 [76.9%]), corticosteroids (n = 8 [61.5%]), platelet transfusions (n = 8 [61.5%]), thrombopoietin receptor agonists (n = 4 [30.8%]), and antifibrinolytic agents (n = 4 [30.8%]). For both adults and children, the most common treatment combination was corticosteroids, IV immunoglobulin, and platelet transfusion (n = 6 [40.0%] vs n = 6 [46.2%]). The median time from presentation to first treatment was 6.9 hours for adults and 3.5 hours for children. Overall, 9 patients (32.1%) with critical ITP bleeds died, including 7 adults (46.7%) and 2 children (15.4%). Critical bleeding in patients with ITP was rare but frequently fatal, especially among older adults with ICH and when treatments were delayed.