Reactive Blood Donor Notification; Their Responses And Perceptions: Experience From Southern Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Donor notification of reactive status is important to prevent the spread of disease. Response of reactive donors to seek confirmation and treatment is a direct reflection of their knowledge and attitudes towards transfusion transmittable infections. METHODS: A cross sectional observational study was conducted from August 2014 to July 2015 at the blood bank of a tertiary care hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Reactive donors' notification and responses were noted with reasons of failure. A cross-sectional analytical survey with non-probability purposive sampling was done on 350 potential consenting blood donors using a pre-tested questionnaire to assess their knowledge and attitude about disease awareness, transmission routes, financial implications and disease sensitization. RESULTS: Out of 16660 donations, 5.57% were rejected on positive screening tests. Repeat donors (69.5%) with primary to secondary qualifications constituted the bulk of reactive donors. Donor notification rate were 54.25% whereas 28.68% donors responded to blood bank in person. The survey showed limited awareness about transfusion transmitted infections. Respondents who were ignorant of disease spread through blood transfusion comprised of 48%. 96.6% donors did not know the financial impact of treatment and 69.7% were unable to afford it. Moreover, 94.9% donors were not protected against hepatitis B. Participants with secondary education had significantly less odds of being adequately knowledgeable (OR=0.372, 95% CI: 0.203-0.681, p-value <0.01) but more likely to have a positive attitude. CONCLUSIONS: There is need for structured pre-donation counselling to sensitize donors about transfusion related diseases in resource limited countries where treatment costs are high and out of reach for most donors..

Transfusion-associated circulatory overload: A survey among Dutch intensive care fellows.

OBJECTIVES: Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) is a severe pulmonary transfusion reaction and leading cause of transfusion-related morbidity and mortality in Europe. TACO is of particular importance in critically ill patients, since they often receive blood transfusions and have multiple risk factors for TACO. This study investigates transfusion practices in patients at risk of developing TACO, and furthermore knowledge concerning risk factors, diagnoses and treatment strategies among Dutch intensive care unit (ICU) fellows. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An unannounced paper-based survey was conducted among Dutch ICU fellows during an educational conference. The survey consisted of 16 multiple and open choice questions. RESULTS: Of all 65 Dutch ICU fellows 56.8% completed the survey; of respondents 88.9% identified the correct constellation of symptoms for TACO. In total, 29.7% of the respondents are aware they are obligated to report TACO cases to the blood bank. Major risk factors for TACO that respondents identified were reduced left ventricular function, infusion volume and infusion rate. In a non-emergency setting, 45.9% of fellows start red blood cell transfusion with 2 units or more. Transfusion rates exceeded national guidelines in 15.4% of fictitious cases. TACO is treated with furosemide by 94.5% of the fellows, however goals of the therapy varied greatly. CONCLUSION: Dutch ICU fellows are knowledgeable of TACO symptoms, risk factors and treatment, however knowledge on reporting and transfusion practice in the setting of at risk patients for TACO should be improved.

Unacknowledged adverse transfusion reactions: Are they a mine to dig?

OBJECTIVES: Haemovigilance has long tried to characterize and understand transfusion reactions in order to prevent them. Unacknowledged ones are now a minority but they question us. Are they the result of incomplete clinical setting and/or insufficient medical reasoning, or can they contain real new entities we have not yet understood? MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten volunteer experts reviewed 30 recent unacknowledged cases. Their diagnostic propositions were compared with data issued from a five-year repository we have analysed in terms of statistical links between clinical signs and diagnoses. RESULTS: Experts' opinions are only quite unanimous in 60% of the cases, and the proposed diagnosis remains unacknowledged in 53%. Repository comparison shows that signs like pain or digestive symptoms are far more frequent in unknown reactions. However, it is more the absence of some other signs which drives to that conclusion, in a default diagnosis mechanism. CONCLUSION: Errors in transfusion reactions medical analysis are rare. Unacknowledged cases are more often linked to poor or unspecific clinical setting. But a particular attention must be paid with infrequent diagnoses which are far less characterised, like metabolic complications. Pain high occurrence in unknown cases also commands us to go further in the characterisation of acute pain transfusion reaction diagnosis, which is suggested by some authors.

Management of delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction in sickle cell disease: Prevention, diagnosis, treatment.

Transfusion remains a key treatment of sickle cell disease complications. However, delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction, the most serious complication of transfusion, may be life-threatening if hyperhemolysis develops. This syndrome is generally underdiagnosed because its biological and clinical features resemble those of vaso-occlusive crisis, and red blood cell antibodies are frequently absent. Further transfusions may aggravate the symptoms, leading to severe multiple organ failure and death. It is therefore essential to prevent, diagnose and treat this syndrome efficiently. Prevention is based principally on the attenuation of allo-immunization through the provision of extended-matched RBCs or the use of rituximab. However, such treatment may be insufficient. Early diagnosis might make it possible to implement specific treatments in some cases, thereby avoiding the need for secondary transfusion. Diagnosis is dependent on the knowledge of the medical staff. Finally, many treatments, including steroids, immunoglobulins, erythropoietin and eculizumab, have been used to improve outcome. Improvements in our knowledge of the specific features of DHTR in SCD should facilitate management of this syndrome.