Transfusions of pathogen-reduced components of donor blood to recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Introduction. Pathogen reduction technologies (PRT) in donor blood components have become a new milestone in ensuring the safety of transfusions. However, it is widely acknowledged that the use of PRT can compromise the quality of blood components and potentially diminish the efficiency of transfusion.

The purpose of this retrospective analysis is the presentation of the results of the use of pathogenic-reduced components of donor blood in comparison with standard transfusion practice in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients.

Materials and methods. An analysis was conducted of the results of transfusions to recipients of allogeneic HSCT performed in 2018–2022. We presented results of 1901 red blood cell transfusions (1848 of which were gamma-irradiated and 53 were pathogen-reduced), 8192 platelet concentrates transfusions (7654 of which were gamma-irradiated and 538 were pathogen-reduced) and donor plasma transfusions (freshly frozen plasma (FFP) – 1381, pathogen-reduced – 169).

Results. The estimated laboratory efficiency of the transfusion of pathogen-reduced red blood cells was comparable to that of gamma-irradiated. Platelet concentrates subjected to pathogen reduction, as well as those prepared using an additional solution, demonstrated the lowest results of post-transfusion increase compared to gamma-irradiated platelet concentrates. Plasma processed using the pathogen reduction method resulted in a smaller increase in fibrinogen concentration. All other hemostasis indices were comparable to those of FFP.

Conclusion. The clinical use of pathogen-reduced donor blood components is an effective transfusion practice, but further improvements in TRP are needed.

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