Testing Whole Blood Transfusion to Improve Survival in Children Under 5 With Severe Malaria and Low Platelets

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of whole blood transfusion to improve survival in children with severe malaria complicated by low platelet counts thrombocytopenia. This open-label randomized controlled trial involves children aged 6 months to under 5 years old who have severe malaria based on WHO criteria but do not currently require transfusion under existing guidelines. The study is part of a larger prospective observational cohort on severe malaria. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups one group will receive a single whole blood transfusion at 20 mL per kilogram of body weight sourced from the Zambia National Blood Transfusion Service, while the other group will receive standard care without transfusion. Follow-up will continue until hospital discharge or death, with monitoring of various health parameters. During the study, children will undergo blood tests to measure hemoglobin, platelet count, and white blood cell count before transfusion and at 2 and 24 hours after transfusion, or at corresponding times for the control group. Researchers will track outcomes including mortality up to hospital discharge or death, transfusion reactions, length of hospital stay, and parasite clearance over 72 hours. The total participation period will last until discharge or in-hospital death, averaging up to 28 days.

Platelet-Directed Whole Blood Transfusion Strategy for Malaria