Detection of adverse events of transfusion in a teaching hospital in Ghana

Monitoring the whole chain of events from the blood donors to recipients, documenting any undesirable or untoward effects and introducing measures to prevent their recurrence if possible are components of haemovigilance systems. Only few sub-Saharan African countries have haemovigilance systems, and there are very little data on adverse events of transfusion. Adverse events monitoring is an integral part of a haemovigilance system. Our study aimed to establish the incidence and types of adverse events of transfusions in Ghana and to identify interventions to improve effectiveness.

This prospective observational 1-year study enrolled 372 recipients of 432 transfusions in a Ghanaian teaching hospital. Vital signs were monitored at 15, 30 and 60 min intervals during the transfusion, then 8 h until 24 h post-transfusion. Three investigators independently classified any new signs and symptoms according to Serious Hazards of Transfusion definitions.

The adverse events incidence was 21·3% (92/432), predominantly mild acute transfusion reactions (84%). A total of 20 transfusions (4·6%) were stopped before completion, 60% of them for mild febrile reactions, which could have been managed with transfusion in situ.

This prospective study indicates a high incidence of adverse events of transfusion in Kumasi, Ghana. The significant numbers of discontinued transfusions suggest that guidelines on how to manage transfusion reactions would help preserve scarce blood stocks. Gradual implementation of a haemovigilance system, starting with monitoring adverse transfusion events, is a pragmatic approach in resource-limited settings.