A touch of TRALI

Abstract

Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a leading cause of transfusion-associated morbidity and mortality. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and Canadian Consensus Conference definitions of TRALI exclude cases of mild TRALI. As a result, many cases of mild TRALI are likely to be missed. Three cases are reported in which patients experienced the acute onset of breathlessness in association with transfusion of blood components containing human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies reactive with recipient HLA antigens. Despite the sudden onset of a pulmonary syndrome in association with transfusion, clinicians caring for these patients did not consider TRALI, and no case would meet recent consensus definitions. Nevertheless, supporting clinical and serologic evidence for TRALI was found in each case. Benefits in recognizing mild cases of TRALI include quantifying the true incidence of TRALI, understanding the physiology of mild versus severe TRALI, and preventing subsequent cases of TRALI due to donors found to have HLA antibodies.