AM23-MN-03-O: Hyperhemolysis Syndrome: Recognition and Current Management Strategies of a Potentially Fatal Transfusion Complication (Enduring)

Hyperhemolysis syndrome (HHS) is an uncommon but life-threatening complication of transfusion that classically occurs in patients with sickle cell anemia but may also be seen in patients without hemoglobinopathies. Recognition of HHS is critical for appropriate management but can be challenging. The first speaker of this session—a transfusion medicine specialist—will present a systematic review of published HHS cases, articulating the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory features of HHS and patient outcomes, including in obstetric patients. While evidence-based guidelines for managing HHS are lacking, varied and emerging strategies have been described, such as corticosteroids, intravenous immune globulin, eculizumab, and tocilizumab. The second speaker of this session—a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and transfusion medicine specialist—will present the proposed pathophysiological mechanisms of HHS and an appraisal of current management strategies.