Transfusion-dependent anaemia treatment using continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (epoetin β pegol) and roxadustat after darbepoetin treatment failure in low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome: a case report

ABSTRACT Treatment of anaemia and reduction of transfusion are major therapeutic goals in patients with low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Although erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are widely used to reduce transfusion requirement, ESAs lose effectiveness within 12 months. We report a 65-year-old Japanese woman diagnosed with low-risk MDS who underwent long-term use of continuous epoetin β pegol, an erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA), and her treatment after CERA failure. She received darbepoetin alpha (DPO) for transfusion-dependent anaemia and was free from transfusion. However, after 8 months, DPO lost effectiveness. She then received CERA and recovered from anaemia. Her haemoglobin level remained >10 g/dl for 3 years and 4 months. However, even CERA lost effectiveness, and she received roxadustat treatment with CERA, leading to recovery from anaemia again. Although further evidence is required, the extension of the no-transfusion period provided by ESAs and roxadustat is important and is awaited among low-risk MDS patients.

Thromboelastography Platelet Mapping—A Useful Preoperative Tool to Reduce Transfusion Requirement by Determining Timing of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery in Patients taking Dual Antiplatelet Medication: A Pilot Study from Eastern India

In this pilot study, we proposed an algorithm to use thromboelastography platelet mapping (TEG-PM) as an effective preoperative platelet function assessment tool in coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) to reduce the transfusion requirement by determining timing of surgery in patients who are on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). Total 15 elective CABG patients who were receiving DAPT were tested by TEG-PM assay after 72 hours’ stoppage of both medications. Four patients who had < 50% inhibition with agonists (arachidonic acid [AA] and adenosine diphosphate [ADP]) were operated within 24 hours of assay. Eight patients who had > 70% inhibition with AA/ADP, surgery was deterred till 48 hours, and 3 patients with > 50% but < 70% inhibition were operated within 24 hours after preoperative prophylactic platelet transfusion. Transfusion requirement was recorded and compared with the previous transfusion data for CABG cases operated without TEG-PM. Distribution of ADP inhibition was 67.54 ± 30.03% and AA inhibition was 60.69 ± 30.14%, showing a variable offset of the effect of both medications starting after 72 hours of cessation. Overall transfusion requirement was decreased by using TEG-PM algorithm. Preoperative platelet function testing to determine the timing of surgery by TEG-PM assay in DAPT-treated patients may be a useful strategy to reduce transfusion requirement in CABG.