The project was to administer plasma transfusions to a 2-year-old child at their home. It’s a first in Quebec. No patient under the age of 15 had ever received plasma transfusions at home before.

The child, who lives on the territory of the CLSC de Pierrefonds, which is part of the Montréal West Island CIUSSS, has a rare genetic disorder that requires them to get plasma transfusions every 2 days. That meant the family had been making their way to CHU Sainte-Justine every other day since the child was born. This situation was becoming unsustainable for the family that was quickly running out of solutions. Another growing concern was how they were going to manage when the child started school in a couple of years.

Given the family’s distress and for the sake of the child, staff at the CLSC de Pierrefonds worked with the attending physician at CHU Sainte-Justine to develop an alternative clinical plan to be able to do the transfusions at the child’s home. The goal was to give the child the same level of care they would receive at the hospital, but at home. The CLSC’s clinical team were trained and, in fall 2021, the child received their first transfusion at home. After a few months, all transfusions were being done at home, saving the family almost 150 trips to the hospital a year.

In September 2023, the child started kindergarten. The care team, parents and school staff worked together to establish an educational action plan to help the child lead a normal life.

Project submitted by:

Magdalena Blaise, Assistant, Support Program for the Autonomy of Seniors, Home Care Support

Contributors:

Kamaljit Sing, Assistant to immediate superior
Hope Pelletier, Nurse
Anick Barrette, Assistant to immediate superior
Karine Mayas, Program manager
Virna Gopez, Nurse
Mylène Boucher, Nurse