The PLATFORM trial is a single-center, open-label randomized controlled trial of whole blood transfusion for severe malaria complicated by thrombocytopenia. The trial will recruit 132 Zambian children 6 months to 15 years old with severe malaria defined according to modified WHO criteria with concomitant thrombocytopenia, defined here as a platelet count ≤75,000/uL, who do not otherwise have a current indication for transfusion according to current guidelines. Children will be randomized 1:1 to whole blood transfusion or no whole blood transfusion and followed to hospital discharge or death. The trial is nested within the Children and Adults with Severe Malaria (CHASM) cohort, a prospective observational study of severe malaria.
Open-label randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of whole blood transfusion for improving survival in children with severe malaria complicated by thrombocytopenia.