Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI)

Abstract

Transfusion is an inevitable event in the life of many individuals. Transfusion medicine personnel attempt to provide blood products that will result in a safe and harmless transfusion. However, this is not always possible since no laboratory test gives totally accurate and reliable results all the time and testing in routine transfusion services is devoted primarily to the identification of red blood cell problems. Thus, when patients are transfused, several possible adverse effects may occur in the transfused patient even though quality testing indicates no potential problem. These adverse events include infectious complications, hemolytic reactions, anaphylaxis, urticaria, circulatory overload, transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease, chills and fever, immunomodulation, and transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI).