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Successful Orthotopic Heart Transplantation in a Patient with Anti-U Antibody
Caitlin Hughes1, Brent Sterling1, Jennifer Andrews1
1Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, US.
Objective:
The U (universal) antigen is part of the MNS blood group present at a frequency of nearly 100% in Caucasians and 98% of African Americans. The anti-U antibody is clinically significant and has been reported to cause hemolytic transfusion reactions and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn.
Methods:
Routine forward and backward typing, direct antiglobulin testing, and an antibody screen were performed. In addition, red blood cell phenotype and adsorption studies were also performed.
Results:
The patient was found to have a rare anti-U antibody, rendering all available inventory in our hospital incompatible for transfusion.
Conclusion:
This is the first reported case of solid organ transplantation in a patient with an anti-U alloantibody. Appropriate pretransplant evaluation and coordination between the clinical team and transfusion medicine service must be optimized to procure rare packed red blood cell units in a timely manner.
