Prevalence of Acute Complications of Transfusion in Children with β-thalassemia Major in Southeast Iran: A Prospective Study

Background: Acute complications of transfusion are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in chronically transfused patients. One of the main goals of blood transfusion is to reduce complications and improve blood safety and patient health care worldwide. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of acute complications of transfusion beta-thalassemia major (TM) patients in Southeast Iran. Methods: In a prospective study, 23882 transfusions were evaluated in TM patients of a thalassemia clinic for acute reactions during a two-year period. Data were collected by forms to record the information related to blood transfusion at the time of reaction occurrence. Results: The assessment of the data revealed that 228 TM patients (0.95%) had acute complications of transfusion. Among 23882 TM patients undergoing transfusion, 211 (0.87%) developed allergic reactions, 11 (0.04%) were diagnosed with febrile non-hemolytic reaction, and one patient (0.004%) had experienced acute hemolytic transfusion reaction. Conclusion: The results of the current study support preventive measures for the reduction of these complications to improve patients’ health. Acute complications occurred may be due to insufficient ability to perform blood bank tests, lack of standard operating instructions, and lack of necessary monitoring during the transfusion process. The best way to reduce the risk of blood transfusion reactions is to provide special care to the patients during the first 24 hours after transfusion. Creating a consistent and continuous education system with standard operating instructions and establishing an error reporting system leads to improve knowledge about transfusion guidelines and best practices.