Abstract
Background: Thrombotic microangiopathy triggers microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and organic injuries. It is a rare and serious condition that demands specific approaches and strategies to recognize it promptly, especially in critically ill patients. The task force could be an effective model. Methods: An evaluative study of the impact of a task force in establishing a routine for the diagnosis of TMA in ICUs. A standard flowchart was used for 90 consecutive days and a low platelet count was the driver for the collection of epidemiological and laboratory data. Suspicion of typical HUS was proven after analyzing haptoglobin, LDH, creatinine, ADAMTS-13 enzyme, and Shiga toxin levels. Meetings were also held with ICU personnel and the self-explanatory flowchart was fine tuned. Results: There were 490 patients (55.9% male and 44.1% female) aged 59.5 ± 21.13 years. Forty-two percent of patients in the sample had thrombocytopenia. Out of the 42 patients, five (1.02%) had TTP, three (0.6%) were presumed to have atypical HUS, and none had typical HUS. The task force remained in touch with researchers to assess diagnoses and three other suspected cases of atypical HUS underwent specific treatment.Discussion: Only 1.62% of the sampled patients had TMA. Despite its complexity, the task force model is useful in situations in which higher technology is the norm. Conclusion: The use of a task force has proven to be effective in establishing a diagnostic practice for a health condition deemed rare or exceedingly rare.
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