A 64-year-old male patient diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma required regular platelet transfusions due to persistent thrombocytopenia. Over time, he developed severe transfusion-related allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, necessitating the use of washed apheresis platelets (W-APLT). However, as the designated blood center was unable to produce W-APLT, the issue was resolved by collaborating with a neighboring blood center to source the product.Key strategies included verifying the patient’s history of transfusion-related anaphylaxis, coordinating the production schedule of blood products, and implementing administrative procedures such as pre-scheduled ambulance transport on the day of transfusion. These measures ensured the timely supply of W-APLT while minimizing the risk of product wastage. As a result, the patient successfully received multiple W-APLT transfusions without further allergic reactions. This case serves as a model for overcoming infrastructure limitations in W-APLT supply through hospital-blood center collaboration, to provide timely and safe blood products to patients at risk of severe transfusion-related allergic reactions and anaphylaxis.

A 64-year-old male patient diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma required regular platelet transfusions due to persistent thrombocytopenia. Over time, he developed severe transfusion-related allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, necessitating the use of washed apheresis platelets (W-APLT). However, as the designated blood center was unable to produce W-APLT, the issue was resolved by collaborating with a neighboring blood center to source the product.Key strategies included verifying the patient’s history of transfusion-related anaphylaxis, coordinating the production schedule of blood products, and implementing administrative procedures such as pre-scheduled ambulance transport on the day of transfusion. These measures ensured the timely supply of W-APLT while minimizing the risk of product wastage. As a result, the patient successfully received multiple W-APLT transfusions without further allergic reactions. This case serves as a model for overcoming infrastructure limitations in W-APLT supply through hospital-blood center collaboration, to provide timely and safe blood products to patients at risk of severe transfusion-related allergic reactions and anaphylaxis.

High-quality specimens are essential for accurate laboratory results. Preanalytical errors due to issues, such as hemolysis, microclotting, and insufficient specimen volume, account for 60%–70% of laboratory errors and frequently result from improper blood collection techniques or negligence during the collection process. Therefore, standardized blood collection guidelines and continuous education are required. In Korea, standardized venous blood collection procedures have not yet been fully established, highlighting the need for an evidence-based protocol tailored to local requirements. The venous blood collection guideline presented here was adapted from international standards to conform to globally recognized practices and address the Korean clinical context. The guideline, developed by the Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine, outlines the critical steps in venous blood collection, from patient identification and consent to post-collection handling. Practical recommendations are provided for medical students, doctors, nurses, and medical technologists. The guideline addresses specific considerations for pediatric and older patients, as well as individuals undergoing blood culture tests, with an emphasis on minimizing errors and promoting the safety of patients and medical staff. The guideline includes practical tools, such as checklists and detailed information on sampling devices, to facilitate implementation. This initiative would help standardize blood collection practices, improve specimen quality, and enhance patient care by ensuring accurate laboratory results in clinical settings.

Background: Large language models (LLMs) have the potential for clinical decision support; however, their use in specific tasks, such as determining the RhD blood type for transfusion, remains underexplored. Therefore, we evaluated the accuracy of six LLMs in addressing RhD blood type-related issues in Korean healthcare. Methods: Fifteen multiple-choice and true/false questions, based on real-world transfusion scenarios and reviewed by specialists, were developed. The questions were administered twice to six LLMs (Clova X, Gemini 1.0, Gemini 1.5, ChatGPT-3.5, GPT-4.0, and GPT-4o) in both Korean and English. Results were compared against the performance of 22 transfusion medicine experts. For particularly challenging questions, prompt engineering was applied, and the questions were reevaluated. Results: GPT-4o demonstrated the highest accuracy rate in Korean (0.6), with significant differences compared with those of Clova X and Gemini (P < 0.05). In English, the results were similar across all models. The transfusion experts achieved a higher accuracy rate (0.8). Among the five questions subjected to prompt engineering, only GPT-4o correctly responded to one, whereas the other models failed. All LLM models changed their responses or did not respond when the same question was repeated. Conclusions GPT-4o showed the best overall performance among the models tested and may be beneficial in RhD blood product transfusion decision-making. However, its performance suggests that it may serve best in a supportive role rather than as a primary decision-making tool.

A 64-year-old male patient diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma required regular platelet transfusions due to persistent thrombocytopenia. Over time, he developed severe transfusion-related allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, necessitating the use of washed apheresis platelets (W-APLT). However, as the designated blood center was unable to produce W-APLT, the issue was resolved by collaborating with a neighboring blood center to source the product.Key strategies included verifying the patient’s history of transfusion-related anaphylaxis, coordinating the production schedule of blood products, and implementing administrative procedures such as pre-scheduled ambulance transport on the day of transfusion. These measures ensured the timely supply of W-APLT while minimizing the risk of product wastage. As a result, the patient successfully received multiple W-APLT transfusions without further allergic reactions. This case serves as a model for overcoming infrastructure limitations in W-APLT supply through hospital-blood center collaboration, to provide timely and safe blood products to patients at risk of severe transfusion-related allergic reactions and anaphylaxis.

A 64-year-old male patient diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma required regular platelet transfusions due to persistent thrombocytopenia. Over time, he developed severe transfusion-related allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, necessitating the use of washed apheresis platelets (W-APLT). However, as the designated blood center was unable to produce W-APLT, the issue was resolved by collaborating with a neighboring blood center to source the product.Key strategies included verifying the patient’s history of transfusion-related anaphylaxis, coordinating the production schedule of blood products, and implementing administrative procedures such as pre-scheduled ambulance transport on the day of transfusion. These measures ensured the timely supply of W-APLT while minimizing the risk of product wastage. As a result, the patient successfully received multiple W-APLT transfusions without further allergic reactions. This case serves as a model for overcoming infrastructure limitations in W-APLT supply through hospital-blood center collaboration, to provide timely and safe blood products to patients at risk of severe transfusion-related allergic reactions and anaphylaxis.

Many medical institutions have adopted a massive transfusion protocol (MTP) for the effective management of hemorrhagic shock. However, in medical institutions where severe trauma patients are infrequently admitted, the use of MTP is rare, potentially leading to deficiencies in staff proficiency and confidence when responding to severe hemorrhage events. This study introduced simulation training to improve staff skills and confidence and assess the current state of the MTP. Healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, medical technologist, and support staff from emergency medical center and blood bank, participated in two simulation training sessions.The Red Blood Cell (RBC) turnaround time (TAT) failed to meet the 5-minute target in both sessions, with recorded times of 10 minutes and 9 minutes, respectively. The fresh frozen plasma (FFP) TAT exceeded the 20-minute target in the first session but achieved the goal with a time of 19 minutes in the second session. Consequently, the RBC TAT target was adjusted to a more realistic 10 minutes. Operational changes, such as installing a blood product refrigerator in the emergency department and prioritizing MTP activities, were suggested to further reduce TAT. Simulation-based training can improve compliance with MTP procedures and increase staff confidence. For institutions where MTP activation is infrequent, regular simulation training and the dissemination of educational materials are crucial to ensuring a prompt and accurate response in actual severe hemorrhage events.

Background: and Purpose: The SoUth Korea study to PrEvent cognitive impaiRment and protect BRAIN health through lifestyle intervention (SUPERBRAIN) proved the feasibility of multidomain intervention for elderly people. One-quarter of the Korean population over 65 years of age has mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Digital health interventions may be costeffective and have fewer spatial constraints. We aim to examine the efficacy of a multidomain intervention through both face-to-face interactions and video communication platforms using a tablet personal computer (PC) application in MCI. Methods: Three hundred participants aged 60–85 years, with MCI and at least one modifiable dementia risk factor, will be recruited from 17 centers and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the multidomain intervention and the waiting-list control groups. Participants will receive the 24-week intervention through the tablet PC SUPERBRAIN application, which encompasses the following five elements: managing metabolic and vascular risk factors, cognitive training,physical exercise, nutritional guidance, and boosting motivation. Participants will attend the interventions at a facility every 1–2 weeks. They will also engage in one or two self-administered cognitive training sessions utilizing the tablet PC application at home each week. They will participate in twice or thrice weekly online exercise sessions at home via the ZOOM platform. The primary outcome will be the change in the total scale index score of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status from baseline to study end. Conclusions This study will inform the effectiveness of a comprehensive multidomain intervention utilizing digital technologies in MCI.

BACKGROUND: Retinal degenerative disease (RDD), one of the most common causes of blindness, is predominantly caused by the gradual death of retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPEs) and photoreceptors due to various causes. Cell-based therapies, such as stem cell implantation, have been developed for the treatment of RDD, but potential risks, including teratogenicity and immune reactions, have hampered their clinical application. Stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have recently emerged as a cell-free alternative therapeutic strategy; however, additional invasiveness and low yield of the stem cell extraction process is problematic. METHODS: To overcome these limitations, we developed therapeutic EVs for the treatment of RDD which were extracted from tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells obtained from human tonsil tissue discarded as medical waste following tonsillectomy (T-MSC EVs). To verify the biocompatibility and cytoprotective effect of T-MSC EVs, we measured cell viability by co-culture with human RPE without or with toxic all-trans-retinal. To elucidate the cytoprotective mechanism of T-MSC EVs, we performed transcriptome sequencing using RNA extracted from RPEs. The in vivo protective effect of T-MSC EVs was evaluated using Pde6b gene knockout rats as an animal model of retinitis pigmentosa. RESULTS: T-MSC EVs showed high biocompatibility and the human pigment epithelial cells were significantly protected in the presence of T-MSC EVs from the toxic effect of all-trans-retinal. In addition, T-MSC EVs showed a dosedependent cell death-delaying effect in real-time quantification of cell death. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed that the efficient ability of T-MSC EVs to regulate intracellular oxidative stress may be one of the reasons explaining their excellent cytoprotective effect. Additionally, intravitreally injected T-MSC EVs had an inhibitory effect on the destruction of the outer nuclear layer in the Pde6b gene knockout rat. CONCLUSIONS Together, the results of this study indicate the preventive and therapeutic effects of T-MSC EVs during the initiation and development of retinal degeneration, which may be a beneficial alternative for the treatment of RDD.