Serious hazards of transfusion - conference report: celebration of 20 years of UK haemovigilance

The Annual SHOT Report for incidents in 2016 was published on July 12 and celebrated of 20 years of UK haemovigilance. Components are very safe, related in part to risk-reduction measures triggered by SHOT reporting. Transfusion-related acute lung injury is now very rare (all plasma components are provided from male donors), and infection transmission is also uncommon - a single transmission of hepatitis E in 2016 and no bacterial transmissions. Human factors (errors) account for 87% of all reports. Deaths and major morbidity most often result from transfusion-associated circulatory overload. Wrong transfusions and deaths from ABO-incompatible transfusion can be reduced by correct bedside checks. It is notable that information technology systems may not be safe. Standardisation is required for flags and alerts. SHOT key recommendations include: assess patients for transfusion-associated circulatory overload prior to transfusion. Be like a pilot - use a bedside checklist when setting up the transfusion.