Incidence of Transfusion Complications in Noncardiac Surgery Patients

Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) and transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) are important causes of morbidity and mortality in transfused patients. Mayo Clinic researchers conducted two retrospective studies to determine the incidence of TRALI and TACO in noncardiac surgery patients who received intraoperative blood-product transfusions in 2004 and 2011; these 2 years were chosen to determine whether incidences changed after the blood bank had implemented two strategies to mitigate TRALI in the intervening years (leukoreduced transfusions and use of male-only plasma donors).

The electronic records of about 4000 patients who received intraoperative transfusions initially were screened for possible TRALI or TACO throug…