ASH Sickle Cell Disease Guidelines: Transfusion Support
Over recent years, expanding experience with transfusion therapy in sickle cell disease (SCD) has highlighted both its central role in preventing and treating organ damage and the need for careful, standardized practice to minimize risks. The ASH Clinical Practice Guidelines on SCD-related transfusion support provide evidence-based recommendations on when and how transfusions should be used, including guidance on extended red blood cell matching, use of immunosuppressive strategies in high-risk situations, red cell exchange for severe complications, chronic transfusion programs, and perioperative management. Developed for hematologists, blood bank professionals, and other clinicians caring for people with SCD, these guidelines aim to support informed conversations with patients, improve safety and consistency of transfusion practices, and identify key gaps where additional research is needed to optimize long-term outcomes.
Guideline Implementation Tools and Resources
ASH Clinical Practice Guidelines App
The ASH Clinical Practice Guidelines App provides access to the recommendations with links to the complete evidence-to-decision tables used to develop them.
Pocket Guide
Brief, evidence-based pocket guides to help physicians provide quality care to patients.
Teaching Slides
Educational slide sets to teach about transfusion support for SCD.
- Transfusion Support
Powerpoint | PDF