Hemovigilance: Weighing the risks versus benefits of transfusion

Transfusion of blood products can be a life-saving procedure. Like all medical procedures, the act of blood transfusion includes risk for the recipient. Although there is no agreed upon definition of the concept of risk, in general risk is thought of as the likelihood that harms or something untoward occurs because of an intervention. Hemovigilance systems rely on the reporting of data from members. From an analysis of hemovigilance data, risk and likelihood of recurrence can be combined to support prioritization of a particular problem for detailed analysis and preventive measures. Hemovigilance system reporting and analysis has increased our understanding of adverse reactions that occur in both blood donors and recipients of blood transfusion. With the implementation of pathogen reduction technologies, hemovigilance systems will be very important in detecting and documenting a presumed reduced rate of transfusion-transmitted infections.