Transfusion is the process of giving whole blood or one of its components--plasma, red blood cells, platelets and cryoprecipitates--to a patient through an intravenous line. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, almost 5 million Americans receive blood transfusions each year.
Although the risk of having a complication to a blood transfusion is low in the United States, some patients may experience mild to severe symptoms during or after a transfusion. According to the Merck Manual, the most common symptoms of a complication are chills, shaking, fever, trouble breathing, light-headedness, and flank pain.
Allergic Reactions
Itching and hives occur if the patient experiences an allergic reaction to the plasma proteins in the donated blood. A febrile transfusion reaction causes a sudden fever during or within 24 hours of the transfusion, and may also cause headache, nausea, chills or a general feeling of discomfort.
Hemolytic Reactions
According to the National Heart Blood and Lung Institute, hemolytic reactions to transfusion are more likely to occur in patients who have had previous transfusions.
An acute immune hemolytic reaction occurs when the blood types of the donor and the patient do not match. Symptoms may include chills, fever, nausea, and pain in the chest or lower back. The transfusion must be stopped immediately or the patient may die.
A delayed hemolytic reaction occurs days or weeks after transfusion when the body slowly attacks antigens on the transfused blood cells. The patient may experience no symptoms but the red blood cell count will drop.
Overload
The Merck Manual reports that patients with heart or kidney disease are at risk for volume overload, which can cause heart failure. Iron overload, which can occur in patients who receive multiple transfusions, can damage the liver, heart and other parts of the body.
Acute Lung Injury
Transfusion-related acute lung injury is a potentially fatal transfusion complication that occurs in about one out of every 5,000 transfusions, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Breathing problems generally occur within one to two hours of the start of the transfusion or up to 72 hours afterward. The problem usually resolves within two or three days, but patients who were very ill before the transfusion have a 5 to 25 percent chance of dying.
Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Patients with severely weakened immune systems are at risk for graft-versus-host disease, in which the white blood cells in the transfused blood attack the patient's tissues. Within 30 days of the transfusion, the patient may experience fever, liver problems, rash and diarrhea. According to the Merck Manual, the mortality rate for GVHD is higher than 90 percent because there is no specific treatment available.
Infection
Blood transfusions can transmit infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites, including HIV, syphilis, West Nile virus, hepatitis B and C, and other diseases. According to the American Cancer Society, the risk of getting an infection from blood in the United States is extremely low.
