Comparison of Two Methods of Transfusion Therapy for Stroke Prevention in Sickle Cell

Aim: Chronic blood transfusions are essential to the care of sickle cell patients at high risk for morbidity and mortality due to stroke. In our comprehensive sickle cell centre, we support chronic transfusion with rapid manual partial exchange transfusions (RMPET) using a single access central line port. We do not have a comprehensive adult sickle cell program at our hospital, but upon transition of patients to an adult transfusion clinic they would be provided simple transfusion (ST) instead of exchange. Since we have a smaller sickle cell population and do not have erythrocytapheresis capabilities, we investigated whether switching our patients to simple transfusion would be feasible without compromising their haemoglobin S quantification parameters or ferritin levels.