ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Acute transfusion reactions (ATR) are commonly reported in clinical transfusion practice, which may result in significant morbidity and mortality. This study aims to explore the impact of transfusion practice on the prevalence, characteristics, and associated factors of ATR at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Kedah, Malaysia. Methods: This was a retrospective study using records from haemovigilance forms of reported transfusion reactions, E-Delphyn (blood bank system), and E-His (hospital information system). A total of 118 cases of ATR from January 1, 2015 until December 31, 2017 were selected and analysed. For each case, a control was selected from a patient who did not develop ATR. Results: A total of 122,215 units of whole blood and blood component transfusions have been performed and 415 ATR were reported. The prevalence of ATR was 0.34% or one in 294 units transfused. There was a significant association between ATR and red cell concentrate (RCC) stored for more than 14 days (adj OR = 65.29, 95% CI 9.29-458.85). The most common ATR were allergic reactions with 63 cases (53.4%), followed by febrile non-haemolytic transfusion reactions (FNHTR) with 45 cases (38.1%). Allergic reactions were significantly associated with female patients (p = 0.038) and the paediatrics age group (p = 0.038). Multivariate analysis revealed a significant association between FNHTR and RCC stored more than 14 days (p = 0.002). Conclusion: The prevalence of ATR in this hospital was low and associated with RCC stored for more than 14 days. Implementation of pre-storage leucoreduction is recommended.