Role of transfusion medicine in post-crisis nuclear leakage.

Sir,

The present nuclear contamination problem that originated in Japan is still a hot issue in medicine. Radioactive nuclides exposure can lead to several complications. Transfusion medicine has role in management of the affected cases; however, information on this specific topic is scarce. In this specific, the author briefly reviews and discusses the role of transfusion medicine in nuclear leakage post-crisis. There is no doubt that blood transfusion becomes a necessary therapeutic tool for highly exposed subjects.[1] Gale noted that it is an important tool, accompanied with infection prophylaxis, for the immediate post-crisis situation.[12] The use of thrombomass transfusion successfully prevents development of the thrombocytopenic hemorrhagic syndrome which is an important hematopoietic aberration after crisis.[34]

There is serious concern regarding the long term complications of the hematopoietic system. In the post-crisis Chernobyl case, bone marrow transplantation with HLA match case was used with a moderately favorable outcome.[4] The irreversibly destroyed hematopoietic tissue (category V) becomes a problem that requires hematopoietic stem cell transplantation therapy.[56] However, this technique is new and was not available at the time of Chernobyl accident. Hence, a future follow-up on usage of this new transplantation practice in the emerging cases in the present Japanese crisis is recommended.