Could regular exchange blood transfusions help pregnant women with sickle cell?

In this podcast episode, we hear from Professor Eugene Oteng-Ntim from Guy's and St Thomas' Sickle Cell Clinic team. He is leading a feasibility trial to investigate whether pregnant women with sickle cell disease would be willing to take part in a study where they may have regular exchange blood transfusions throughout their pregnancy, to compare this with normal standard care.

Pregnancy in sickle cell patients is considered ‘high risk’ due to the increased likelihood of experiencing complications. It is unknown whether the most commonly prescribed drugs for the condition are safe to take during pregnancy and therefore cannot be taken, meaning alternative measures to support mother and baby are needed.

Listen on to find out more about sickle cell disease, what the risks are for expectant mothers with sickle cell and how the TAPS2 trial hopes to improve their health outcomes.

Read more about the NIHR-supported TAPS2 study here: https://www.guysandstthomasbrc.nihr.ac.uk/microsites/taps2/

If you want to skip to a specific section in the podcast, check out the time stamps below:

0:00-00:30 – Introducing Professor Eugene Oteng-Ntim
00:30-04:20 – What is SCD and how does it affect pregnant women and unborn children?
04:20-08:50 – What are the treatment options for SCD and is it the same for pregnant women?
08:50-11:44 – What is the TAPS2 trial?
11:45-12:37 – How will the outcomes of the trial benefit women and their children?