Early platelet transfusions used a filter to remove white blood cells at the time of transfusion.
The company said there were three million platelet transfusions a year in the United States.
Also after major surgery or extensive injury, patients may need platelet transfusions to replace those lost through bleeding.
The woman needed a platelet transfusion, but the newly arrived intern instead ordered plasma, which did her no good.
Bleeding events, which may be very severe, can be controlled by platelet transfusion.
Therefore platelet transfusions should be reserved for surgery or potentially life-threatening bleeding.
Frequent platelet transfusions are required to keep the patient from bleeding to death until transplant has been completed, although this is not always the case.
A significant problem for multitransfused patients is refractoriness to platelet transfusions.
This condition is known as refractoriness to platelet transfusion.
Sometimes it is necessary to have platelet transfusions.