Postdonation information during dengue outbreaks at a single blood center in Brazil: An ally against transfusion-transmitted infections.

BACKGROUND

Brazilian blood banks encourage donors to report postdonation information (PDI) regarding conditions that would lead to deferral in an attempt to retrieve distributed nonconforming blood.

OBJECTIVES

This study evaluated the profile of donors reporting PDI, the impact on transfusion safety, and the possible impact on the discard of blood products.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

We analyzed 115 consecutive PDIs between May 2014 and July 2015, a period comprising two dengue-like syndrome (DLS) outbreaks.

RESULTS

These PDIs accounted for 87,780 blood donations. The average time for PDIs since donation was 4 (0-23) days and 190 blood components were discarded. DLS accounted for 21.7% of the PDIs analyzed; 11 of the 23 samples tested were nucleic acid test (NAT) positive for dengue and 2 positive for Zika virus (ZIKV). Six of these PDIs were reported after blood components have been transfused: After NAT testing, one of these recipients was diagnosed with dengue and another one with ZIKV infection, both possible transfusions transmitted but without clinical consequences.

CONCLUSION

The high number of recovered blood components due to PDI suggests that PDI remains a great ally in the fight against transfusion-transmitted infections and may be particularly useful during outbreaks of emerging potentially blood-borne pathogens.