A patient receiving a red cell transfusion develops fever, chills, flank pain, and dark red urine 20 minutes into the transfusion. Blood pressure is dropping. Which transfusion reaction is most likely?

Which statement is TRUE regarding a febrile non-haemolytic transfusion reaction (FNHTR)?

During a platelet transfusion, a patient suddenly develops wheezing, stridor, difficulty breathing, and hypotension, without fever. Which type of transfusion reaction is this most suggestive of?

A 60-year-old patient with no cardiac history is 2 hours into a red cell transfusion when they develop acute respiratory distress. O₂ saturation drops to 85%, blood pressure falls, and chest X-ray shows bilateral lung infiltrates. Jugular venous pressure (JVP) is normal. What is the most likely reaction?

An elderly patient with congestive heart failure is receiving a blood transfusion. Mid-transfusion, they develop acute shortness of breath, elevated blood pressure, distended neck veins, and crackles on lung auscultation. What is the most likely transfusion complication?

Thirty minutes into a unit of blood, a patient spikes a temperature of 40°C with shaking chills (rigors) and becomes hypotensive. The transfusion is stopped. The blood bag is noted to have a purple discolouration. Which reaction should be suspected?

Which of the following is a required step in the management and reporting of a severe transfusion reaction?

What is the most important measure to prevent an acute haemolytic transfusion reaction due to ABO incompatibility?

An 80-year-old woman with chronic anaemia and heart failure requires a transfusion. Which approach below best reduces her risk of transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO)?

If a patient develops only mild urticaria (hives) and itching during a transfusion without other symptoms, it is acceptable to temporarily pause the transfusion, treat with an antihistamine, and then resume the transfusion if the symptoms resolve.

The routine leucocyte-depletion (filtering out white blood cells) of blood components has made febrile non-haemolytic transfusion reactions less common.

Many acute haemolytic transfusion reactions could be prevented by strict adherence to patient identification and matching protocols, since clerical errors are a common underlying cause.

To prevent TACO, one should avoid transfusing more units than necessary, transfuse blood slowly for high-risk patients, and consider a diuretic during or after transfusion if appropriate.

If TRALI (transfusion-related acute lung injury) is suspected, giving diuretics will rapidly improve the patient’s condition.