The outsider adverse event in transfusion: Inflammation

In order to maintain adequate inventories of red blood cells (RBCs) for transfusion, RBC units are refrigerator-stored for variable amounts of time prior to transfusion. A subset of RBCs is damaged during prolonged storage. Clearance of these damaged RBCs is hypothesized to induce an inflammatory response in the transfusion recipient. However, there is controversy over whether RBC transfusions are in fact associated with inflammation, and more generally, whether current standards for maximal RBC storage times are safe. We will explore the evidence for and against this outsider adverse event in transfusion: whether certain RBC transfusions do or do not cause inflammation.