2019 Volume 65 Issue 5 Pages 810-816
The true seroconversion ratio of individual antibodies after transfusion has not been elucidated. We are planning a multicenter prospective study to examine the seroconversion of antibodies after transfusion. Here, we report the results of our pilot study. We prospectively investigated the antibodies of patients who received an erythrocyte transfusion between March 2016 and September 2018. We simultaneously collected clinical data including sex, age, primary disease, previous transfusion history, amount of erythrocytes transfused (units) and the timing of examination after transfusion. Written informed consent was obtained from 307 cases before transfusion, and we conducted 267 examinations of antibodies in 263 cases after transfusion. Irregular erythrocyte antibodies were detected in 1.6% (5/307 cases; 1 for anti-C, 1 for anti-Jka, 1 for anti-E+c and 2 for anti-E) and 3.8% (10/263 cases) of cases before and after transfusion, respectively. New antibodies were detected in 1.9% (5 cases) of cases after transfusion. The mean amount of erythrocytes transfused (units) to those in whom new antibodies were detected (20±14 units, median 13 units) was significantly greater than that of all other patients (7±8, 4) (p=0.002). No safety or ethical problems were observed in this pilot study.
