Safer and more appropriate blood transfusion therapy

The risks associated with transfusion with blood components have been greatly reduced due to the implementation of innovative strategies for donor selection and testing, as well as safety measures such as universal prestorage leukocyte reduction. However, a variety of residual or unsolved risks, such as severe acute reaction of transfusion-related acute lung injury, transfusion-associated circulatory overload and transfusion-transmitted infections, remain. Patients with hematological disorders are at high risk, since they receive therapeutic interventions frequently requiring transfusion. Thereby, balancing risk and benefit for patients, hematologists should prescribe blood components through evidence-based decision-making, minimize unnecessary transfusions and then conduct safe and error-free transfusion with a standard procedure involving the transfusion process at the bedside.