Journal of Medical Sciences and Health (Oct 2016)
A Study of Transfusion Related Adverse Events at a Tertiary Care Center in Central India: A Retrospective Evaluation
Abstract
Background: The goal of hemovigilance is to improve the safety and quality of blood transfusion services. An identification of adverse transfusion reactions (ATRs) will help to take appropriate steps to reduce their incidence and make blood transfusion safe. To determine the frequency and type of ATR that occurred in patients and reported to the blood bank in a rural hospital in central India. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of all transfusion reactions reported to the Blood Bank at Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram between January 2015 and December 2015 was done. All the transfusion reactions were evaluated by the blood transfusion officer and classified using standard definitions. Results: A total of 8121 units of whole blood and components were issued to various departments in the hospital. Total 15 transfusion reactions were reported to the blood bank following whole blood transfusion only (0.27%). The most common type of transfusion reaction among all the ATRs was allergic (0.19%), followed by febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions (0.036%). Not a single case of bacterial contamination was found in this study. Conclusion: The frequency of transfusion reactions in our study was found to be 0.27%. This could be an underestimation of the true incidence because of underreporting as well as due to the management of few cases by the treating clinician itself. Rational use of blood, improving storage conditions, bedside monitoring of transfusion and documentation of adverse events will help in improving transfusion safety. It is the joint responsibility of the blood transfusion consultant and their clinical counterpart to create awareness about safe transfusion services so that proper hemovigilance system can be achieved to provide patient care.
