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Transfusion Service

AM23-MN-03-L - Hyperhemolysis Syndrome: Recognition and Current Management Strategies of a Potentially Fatal Transfusion Complication

Monday, October 16, 2023
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM CT
Location: Davidson Ballroom A1
CE: 1.0 CME (AMA Physician Credit) / 1.0 CE (Non-Physician Credit)

    Program Chair(s)

  • Laura D. Stephens, MD

    Associate Professor; Associate Medical Director
    University of California San Diego
    San Diego, California, United States

    Disclosure(s): Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (Dr. Fasano): Consultant/Advisory Board (Terminated, July 10, 2022)

    • Speaker(s)

  • Jeremy W. Jacobs, MD, MHS

    Special Coagulation Fellow
    Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA, Minnesota, United States

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

  • Ross Fasano, MD

    Associate Professor of Pathology and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
    Emory University, Georgia, United States

    Disclosure(s): No relevant disclosure to display

Disclosure(s):
Laura D. Stephens, MD: Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (Dr. Fasano): Consultant/Advisory Board (Terminated, July 10, 2022)
Jeremy W. Jacobs, MD, MHS: No financial relationships to disclose
Ross Fasano, MD: No relevant disclosure to display
Session Description: Hyperhemolysis syndrome (HHS) is an uncommon but life-threatening complication of transfusion that classically occurs in patients with sickle cell anemia but may also be seen in patients without hemoglobinopathies. Recognition of HHS is critical for appropriate management but can be challenging. The first speaker of this session—a transfusion medicine specialist—will present a systematic review of published HHS cases, articulating the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory features of HHS and patient outcomes, including in obstetric patients. While evidence-based guidelines for managing HHS are lacking, varied and emerging strategies have been described, such as corticosteroids, intravenous immune globulin, eculizumab, and tocilizumab. The second speaker of this session—a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and transfusion medicine specialist—will present the proposed pathophysiological mechanisms of HHS and an appraisal of current management strategies.

Learning Objectives:

  • Define the diagnostic and clinical features of hyperhemolysis syndrome (HHS)
  • Examine the transfusion considerations in patients with acute HHS or a history of HHS
  • Discuss the role of immunomodulatory therapies for refractory HHS