Related Experiment Videos
Incidence of post-transfusion hepatitis before and after screening for hepatitis C virus antibody
1Division of Gastroenterology, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Insights
Screening blood for the hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) significantly reduced post-transfusion hepatitis C infections in cardiovascular surgery patients. Implementing sensitive diagnostic kits for anti-HCV screening is crucial for patient safety.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Infectious Diseases
- Transfusion Medicine
Background:
- Post-transfusion hepatitis C (PTHC) is a significant risk following blood transfusions.
- Cardiovascular surgery patients receiving transfusions are particularly vulnerable to PTHC.
- Evaluating the efficacy of screening tests for antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effectiveness of anti-HCV screening in preventing transfusion-associated hepatitis C.
- To determine the incidence of acute HCV infection in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery.
- To evaluate the impact of blood donor screening on PTHC rates.
Main Methods:
- Prospective follow-up of cardiovascular surgery patients receiving blood transfusions.
- Monitoring of serum biochemistry and viral hepatitis markers for at least 6 months post-surgery.
- Comparison of PTHC incidence before and after the implementation of second-generation anti-HCV screening.
Main Results:
- Before anti-HCV screening, 12.4% of patients seroconverted to anti-HCV.
- PTHC incidence was lower in patients receiving fewer transfusions (1-12 units) compared to those receiving more (>12 units).
- After implementing anti-HCV screening, no transfused patients developed PTHC, a statistically significant reduction.
Conclusions:
- Second-generation anti-HCV screening assays effectively protect patients from transfusion-associated hepatitis C.
- Nationwide implementation of sensitive anti-HCV blood donor screening is strongly recommended.
- Enhanced screening protocols are vital for preventing hepatitis C transmission in transfusion recipients.
Abstract:
To evaluate the effectiveness of screening test for antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV), the incidence of acute post-transfusion HCV infection in patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery and received blood transfusion was studied. All patients were followed prospectively with serum biochemistry tests and viral hepatitis markers before and periodically for at least 6 months after cardiovascular surgery. None of them had history of liver disease and none tested positive for anti-HCV prior to blood transfusion. Before blood donors were screened for anti-HCV with a second-generation HCV diagnostic kit, 28 (12.4%) of 226 patients or 0.49% of 5,690 unit transfusion had seroconverted to anti-HCV during a 6-month follow-up. The incidence of post-transfusion hepatitis (PTH) C in 91 patients who had received 1-12 units transfusion was significantly lower than in 135 patients who had received more than 12 units transfusion (6.6 vs. 16.3%, p < 0.05). However, none of the 87 transfused patients, since anti-HCV screening in July 1992, developed PTH C (p < 0.05). The result demonstrates that screening for anti-HCV by a more sensitive second-generation HCV diagnostic assay may protect the patients studied from PTH C. It further provides a firm argument for the necessity of a nation-wide blood donor screening.