IRRADIATED BLOOD PRODUCTS, INDICATIONS AND COMPLICATIONS - REVIEW

Red blood cell transfusions are administered as a therapeutic intervention for the management of hemorrhage and to enhance the delivery of oxygen to bodily tissues. The administration of red blood cell transfusions should be determined by the patient's clinical status. Narrative review conducted throughout the databases such as PubMed, for all relevant studies that were published up to the end of 2022.

Transfusions of blood products ought to be administered in accordance with established protocols and clinical evaluation, while endeavors should be made to prevent the unnecessary administration of transfusions. Over the past few decades, the safety of transfusions has significantly improved due to advancements in component preparation methods. One notable example is the application of leukoreduction to red blood cells (RBC) or platelets, which has been found to considerably decrease the incidence of febrile non-hemolytic transfusion reactions (FNHTR) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alloimmunization-related problems. The implementation of these product adjustments is primarily observed in affluent nations, although remains universally absent in the poor world. Specific modifications that should be implemented for patients with particular blood product requirements include irradiation, washing of red blood cells and platelets, and depletion of platelets from plasma.