A Retrospective Analysis of Transfusion Reactions at a Tertiary Care Center: An Institutional Hemovigilance Study

Background: The goal of our study was to determine the frequency and type of transfusion reactions (TRs) as well as other hemovigilance activities reported at a tertiary care hospital in Turkey over a period of 3 years. Method: In this retrospective study, the notification sheets of TRs reported to the institution's local hemovigilance system between December 2017 and December 2020 were analyzed. Results: A total of 89,187 units of blood components were administered to patients during this period. A total of 197 TRs were reported to the hemovigilance system. The overall frequency of TRs was 0.22%. The most common TRs were allergic reactions (49.2%) and febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions (37.6%), respectively. Most of the adverse events were reported by clinical nurses. Conclusion: Our study showed that the frequency of TRs was low, and most were manageable reactions. We found that reporting of all TRs and continuous nursing education can help to strengthen the hemovigilance system.