Transfusion-Related Alpha-Gal Syndrome as an Emerging Cause of Severe Allergic Reactions in Transfusion Recipients (27EL-722)

Please note: AABB reserves the right to make updates to this program.

• Topics: Blood Components, Blood Donation & Collection, Complications, Operations, Other Emerging Infectious Diseases, Patient & Donor Safety, Special Patients and Situations, Transfusion Safety
• Intended Audience: Laboratory Professionals, Nurses, Physicians, Research Scientists
• Teaching Level: Intermediate

• Director/Moderator: Edward Yoon, MD, Physician Lead, Clinical Pathology, Medical Director, Transfusion Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States, Rockville, MD
  Speakers:

  • Nancy Dunbar, MD, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Professor of Medicine, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, NH
  • Richard Kaufman, MD, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, NH

• Program Description

  This program will introduce the emerging concept of transfusion-related alpha-gal syndrome. The discussion will cover the believed causes of alpha-gal syndrome outside of the context of blood transfusion, the clinical course and presentation when it is potentially transfusion-related, as well as some mitigation steps that transfusion services and blood product manufacturers can potentially take. In this context, the current and future states of related scientific and clinical research will be discussed.

  Learning Objectives

  After participating in this educational activity, participants should be able to:

  • Describe the cause and epidemiology of alpha-gal syndrome outside of the setting of blood transfusion.
  • Explain the mechanism, pathophysiology, and presentation of transfusion-related alpha-gal syndrome.
  • Identify the clinical and operational impacts of transfusion-related alpha-gal syndrome on transfusion services and blood product manufacturers.
  • Discuss current and potential future research related to transfusion-related alpha-gal syndrome.

  Registration

  Registration includes access to both the live and on-demand version of this eCast.

  If you are a facility interested in participating in this eCast, simply complete the Group Viewing registration form and AABB will provide detailed instructions to share with your team approximately one week prior to the live program (each team member to register for the program utilizing a promocode). For single viewers, simply click on the Register button below to register.

  Please note: registration for the live eCast will close 1 hour prior to the eCast start time. If you register after this time, you will receive access to the on-demand eCast when it is available.

  Single Viewer	Register
  Group Viewing	Register

  Continuing Education Credit

  This activity is eligible for one (1.0) continuing education credit/contact hour for Physicians, California Nurses, California Lab Personnel, Florida Lab Personnel and General Participation credit. AABB reserves the right to reduce or increase the number of credits granted based on the final activity duration. For more information on each credit type please visit our Continuing Education Credits webpage.

  There is no financial support for this activity.

  

  In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), which is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

  Physicians (ACCME): AABB designates this live activity for a maximum of one (1.0) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. AABB designates this enduring activity for a maximum of one (1.0) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  Claiming Credit
  Live Activity - Upon completion of the live activity, you will receive instructions to complete your evaluation, which is necessary to claim credit and receive your certificate of attendance/completion (credit must be claimed by the date provided in the instructions). The evaluation can be found by logging into the AABB Education Platform.

  Enduring Activity - Once the enduring (on-demand) program is available, you will receive instructions to access the AABB Education Platform. Upon completion of viewing the enduring activity, you will need to complete the evaluation, which is necessary to claim credit and receive your certificate of completion (credit must be claimed by the date provided in the AABB Education Platform).

  Program & Credit Expiration Dates:

  • Live Activity Program Date: April 7, 2027; Credit Expiration Date: May 7, 2027
  • Enduring Activity Program Dates: April 7, 2027 – April 6, 2030; Credit Expiration Date: April 6, 2030

  Disclosure Declaration

  It is the policy of the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor and integrity in all of its CE activities. Faculty must disclose to the participants any relationships with commercial companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. AABB has evaluated, identified, and mitigated any potential conflicts of interest through a rigorous content validation procedure, use of evidence-based data/research, and a multidisciplinary peer review process. The following information is for participant information only. It is not assumed that the presence of such relationships will have a negative impact on the presentations.

  Disclosures for the planners of this event can be found here. Disclosures for the program faculty, peer reviewers, and AABB personnel are provided at the beginning of the program.

  Faculty Biographies

  Nancy M. Dunbar, MD is a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and of Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She currently serves as the Medical Director of the Blood Bank and Special Coagulation Laboratory and the Associate Medical Director of the Transfusion Medicine Service. She pursues international collaborative research in Transfusion Medicine as a Scientific Member of the Clinical Transfusion Studies Team in the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative. Her clinical research focuses on blood utilization and transfusion safety and includes over 100 peer-reviewed publications.

  
  

  Richard Kaufman, MD received his M.D. and trained in clinical pathology and transfusion medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Kaufman worked for many years in Boston as the medical director of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Blood Bank. He has previously chaired the U.S. Blood Products Advisory Committee. He is now a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. Dr. Kaufman has pursued a variety of research interests in the field of transfusion medicine and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal, TRANSFUSION. His current research efforts are focused on understanding transfusion-related alpha-gal syndrome (TRAGS).

  
  

  Edward Yoon, MD is a staff clinical pathologist, the subchief of clinical pathology, and the medical director of transfusion medicine within the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, based in the greater Washington D.C. area. He received his M.D. from Rutgers (formerly UMDNJ) New Jersey Medical School, completed a residency in clinical pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, and completed a clinical fellowship in transfusion medicine at New York Blood Center and Northwell Health. Dr. Yoon is board certified in clinical pathology and blood banking/transfusion medicine.