[DanL]

I have found platelet transfusions to be kind of funny as to why they take and when they take. Even without antibodies, a platelet transfusion may or may not have an immediate impact on numbers. I had been on watch and wait for nearly 5 years, but when it came to transplant time, I had to have some dental work done. I did not receive any platelet transfusions during this time period, but resided in the 20-30k range. Over the course of two weeks, i received several transfusions to allow for the dental work and to allow for the placement of my triple lumen catheter. As noted, I didn't have any sign of anti-platelet antibodies or other causes of rejection, but here is what we did find - Fresh platelets and matched blood type seemed to give me a nicer boost. Platelets only have about a ten day life cycle, so anything that is near expiration, especially if you had platelet destruction going on internally, would probably not give a very good or durable boost and appear to be refractory. HLA matching has worked well for other members of the forum, but from what I understand this takes a couple of days each time that you need platelets, whereas the blood type and dating are easier to accommodate in the absence of the antibody issue.