The improvement in transfusion medicine is primarily directed to increase the safety of allogeneic blood component transfusions for recipients. Leukoreduction (LR) prevents many adverse reactions and improves the quality of the blood components during storage. Little attention had been paid to the leukocytes present in the various blood components. This article deals with the role of LR in contributing to the safety of blood transfusion.
Leukocytes, as part of transfusions, can cause a variety of side-effects like febrile reactions, platelet refractoriness, and transmission of viruses like the cytomegalovirus. Further, the transfused leukocytes may also suppress the recipient's immune response thereby increasing the risk of infection or malignancy. Therefore, reduction of leukocytes in blood and platelet transfusions potentially reduces the frequency of these adverse events.…
