BIOLOGICAL EFFICACY OF RED BLOOD CELLS TRANSFUSION IN POLYTRANSFUSED PATIENTS IN TWO HOSPITALS OF THE CITY OF YAOUNDÉ

Context: Blood transfusion is a replacement therapy that involves administering blood or one of its components to one or more patients. The effectiveness of a red blood cell transfusion can be assessed by several parameters, including the resolution of clinical symptoms of anemia and the calculation of the transfusion yield, which plays a central role. In transfusion practice in Cameroon, only pre-transfusion assessments are performed; the evaluation of the biological effectiveness of blood transfusions is not yet considered. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the biological effectiveness of red blood cell transfusions in polytransfused patients at two hospitals in the city of Yaoundé. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, longitudinal, and analytical study, which took place from February 17 to June 5, 2025, in two hospitals in the city of Yaoundé. The collected blood samples were analyzed using the HumaCount 30TS analyzer, and the results were used to calculate the transfusion yield. The collected data were entered into Microsoft Office Excel 2016 and then analyzed using SPSS 27. Results: A 106-polytransfused patients were recorded across the two hospitals, predominantly women, with a predominance of patients aged 33 to 52 years. Geographically, the Western and Central regions were the most represented. The mean transfusion yields obtained were (46.61 ± 29.39) 1 hour post-transfusion, representing an efficiency of 11.3%, and (37.88 ± 25.87) 24 hours post-transfusion, representing an efficiency of 88.7%. The transfusion yield was statistically higher in patients who received packed red blood cells (PRBCs) compared to those who received whole blood. Conclusion: Although transfusion efficacy was achieved in more than half of the patients 24 hours post-transfusion, significant red blood cell transfusion ineffectiveness was observed 1 hour post-transfusion. For a large number of transfused patients, there was a mismatch between the red blood cell transfusion therapy and the expected benefit, arguing for a review of current transfusion practices to better meet patient needs.