acute haemolytic transfusion reaction
| Vignette from CICM 2017: "where a trauma patient is seen to produce red urine with lots of haemoglobin in it, as well as oozing from all vascular access sites, being hypotensive and having a fever." | |
|---|---|
| Etiology | Often due to ABO incompatibility |
| Clinical presentation | Rapid onset fever, rigors, pain at infusion site, hypotension... |
| Pathogenesis | RBCs lysed by Complement system → inflammatory response/SIRS |
| Diagnostic investigations | - Direct Antiglobulin Test (DAT) - Repeat ABO compatibility testing - Urine dipstick for haemoglobin |
| Management | STOP and resuscitate patient |