Transfusion of allogeneic blood products is given for correction of coagulation deficits and for the improvement in oxygen-carrying capacity or delivery. Blood transfusion has become safer following the advancement in blood testing using state-of-the-art viral assays; however, there continues to exist a variety of noninfectious transfusion risks that still remain and that cannot be entirely eliminated. Research is now directed towards understanding these lesser-known, but serious transfusion-related complications. This purpose of this review is to discuss a serious noninfectious cause of acute lung injury, transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), which occurred in 2 recent cases in the intensive care unit, and to review the current literature of this syndrome.
Keywords: Adult/etiology/immunology; blood transfusion/adverse effects; neutrophils/immunology; respiratory distress syndrome.