Storage time of blood products and transfusion-related acute lung injury.

BACKGROUND: Besides white blood cell antibodies in plasma-rich products, another cause of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) could be release of biologically active substances during storage of cellular blood products. We aimed to investigate the association of storage time and risk of TRALI for different product types.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We compared storage time of blood products transfused within 6 hours before the onset of TRALI to storage time of a representative sample of all blood products transfused in the Netherlands. Generalized linear models were used to correct for confounding variables.

RESULTS: Platelets (PLTs) in plasma transfused to TRALI patients were stored for 0.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.073 to 1.3) days longer than those transfused to controls. The relative risk of TRALI, after receiving PLTs stored for 4 or 5 days, compared to 3 days or less, was 5.8 (95% CI, 0.99 to 110) and increased to 6.3 (95% CI, 1.1 to 118) after more than 5 days (i.e., 6 or 7 days).

CONCLUSIONS: While longer storage of buffy coat-derived PLTs was associated with an increased risk of TRALI, storage of plasma for up to 2 years and red blood cells for up to 35 days was not associated with the risk of TRALI.