Referral to emergency

If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.

  • bicytopenia/pancytopenia with circulating blasts on blood film examination (see acute leukaemia CPC).
  • severe pancytopenia should be referred as an emergency and discussed with Haematology registrar.  Severe pancytopenia is defined by any 2 or more of:
    • haemoglobin < 80 g/L
    • neutrophils < 0.5 X 109/L
    • platelets < 30 X 109/L

Please contact the on-call registrar to discuss your concerns prior to referral.

For clinical advice, please telephone the relevant specialty service.

Central Adelaide Local Health Network

Northern Adelaide Local Health Network

Southern Adelaide Local Health Network

Category 1 (appointment clinically indicated within 30 days)

  • moderate-severe bicytopenia/pancytopenia (haemoglobin Hb < 80g/L, neutrophils <1.0 x 109/L, platelets <75 x 109/L)
  • bicytopenia/pancytopenia with splenomegaly or leucoerythroblastic blood picture on blood film examination or lymphocyte surface markers showing an abnormal myeloid or lymphoid cell population.

Category 2 (appointment clinically indicated within 90 days)

  • any two of the following:
    • Hb > 80g/L
    • neutrophil > 1.0 x 109/L
    • platelet level >75 x 109/L

Regularly monitor complete blood examination every 2 to 3 weeks, should the cytopenia progress to category 1 referral parameters.

Category 3 (appointment clinically indicated within 365 days)

  • nil

Essential referral information

Completion required before first appointment to ensure patients are ready for care. Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.

  • past medical history
  • medication history
  • current medication list
  • blood results:
    • complete blood examination (CBE)
    • estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
    • liver function tests (LFTs)
    • lactase dehydrogenase (LDH)
    • blood film examination
    • lymphocyte surface markers on peripheral blood
    • B12
    • folate
    • iron studies
  • any prior imaging results, including ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) scan.

Additional information to assist triage categorisation

  • reticulocyte count

Clinical management advice

Pancytopenia refers to a combination of anaemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Causes relate to decreased production or bone marrow failure, immune-mediated destruction or non-immune mediated peripheral sequestration.

Pancytopenia or bicytopenia may be due to drugs, haematinic deficiencies, viral infections, or bone marrow disorders such as myelodysplasia, aplastic anaemia, acute leukaemia etc.

Clinical resources

Reason for request

  • to establish a diagnosis
  • for treatment or intervention
  • for advice and management
  • for specialist to take over management
  • for a specified test/investigation the General Practitioner cannot order
  • for other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
  • transfer of care from another tertiary service
  • clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary.

Patient demographic details

  • full name, including aliases
  • date of birth
  • residential and postal address
  • telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
  • Medicare number, where eligible
  • name of the parent or caregiver, if appropriate
  • preferred language and interpreter requirements
  • identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Clinical modifiers

  • impact on employment
  • impact on education
  • impact on home
  • impact on activities of daily living
  • impact on ability to care for others
  • impact on personal frailty or safety
  • identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Other relevant information

  • Willingness to have surgery, where surgery is a likely intervention.
  • Choice to be treated as a public or private patient.
  • Compensable status, e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.
  • Relevant social history, including identifying if you feel your patient is from a vulnerable population, under guardianship/out-of-home care arrangements and/or requires a third party to receive correspondence on their behalf.
  • Triage of a specialist outpatient referral is based on clinical decision making to allocate an appropriate urgency categorisation.
  • Where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service. Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated public allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
  • A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating or pregnancy) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
  • All new referrals will be triaged by a consultant and appointment times scheduled according to clinical urgency.