Case report: massive blood transfusion in a patient with immunoglobulin a deficiency undergoing cesarean delivery

Christopher Steel1, Sonia Vaida, Berend Mets

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033-0850, USA.

Patients with immunoglobulin (Ig)A deficiency develop autoantibodies against IgA, which render them vulnerable to severe anaphylactic reactions when transfused with conventional blood or blood products containing IgA. In this report, we describe a patient with IgA deficiency and placenta accreta undergoing emergency cesarean delivery who required massive blood transfusion. We discuss the workup and treatment options in patients with known IgA deficiency.

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