Transfusion is not without serious risk, ranging from mild reactions to life-threatening conditions. Transfusion-related acute lung injury, transfusion-associated circulatory overload, and hemolytic transfusion reactions represent the most common morbidity and mortality events reported nationally. Although not all transfusion-related events are caused by errors, this complex process has many critical decision points at which errors can occur; preparing and administering a transfusion is a multistep and multidisciplinary process. Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS) data show staff are identifying errors and making corrections prior to the event resulting in harm to the patient. Hemovigilance surveillance programs, emerging both internationally and in the Unites States, seek to learn from both Serious Events and Incidents, to continually improve the safety of blood transfusions. Advances in donor screening; improved testing of the blood supply; use of emerging technology, such as barcoding; and improvements in transfusion medicine practices have been found to increase the safety of blood transfusion.
