Effect of leukoreduction in preventing febrile transfusion reactions

Febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reactions (FNHTRs) remain one of the most common adverse events associated with packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions. Therefore, it is of interest to compare the efficacy of leukoreduction in the prevention of febrile transfusion reactions in PRBC-transfused patients using the TACE 2 automatic component extractor and Terumo Penpol blood bags. 600 PRBC transfusions were included in the analysis, of which 300 were leukoreduced and 300 were not leukoreduced. The standard operating procedures for leukoreduction were adopted with the help of the TACE 2 device and the rate of FNHTRs was noted and compared between the two groups. Leukoreduction greatly minimized the occurrence of febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reactions. Its application with automated extraction systems such as TACE 2 and quality blood bags like those of Terumo Penpol provided safe, effective and repeatable results.