Shapiro Marc J
SUNY-Stony Brook School of Medicine, General Surgery, New York, USA.
Crit Care. 2004;8 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S27-30. doi: 10.1186/cc2453. Epub 2004 Jun 14.
The safety of the blood supply has been a concern over the past 20-30 years because of the transmission of infectious diseases. Blood is still routinely tested for viruses, and leukoreduction is an effective strategy to reduce the transmission of cell-associated viruses. Clinically, the benefits of leukoreduction include decreases in transfusion reactions, HLA alloimmunization, infections, fever episodes, and antibiotic use. Although leukoreduction will add cost to a unit of blood, projections indicate that leukoreduced blood will become the standard of care.